Vaping: A Global Dilemma wellbeing lesson plan
A secondary wellbeing lesson for Years 7 to 9 that helps Australian teachers introduce vaping as both a personal health issue and a wider environmental concern, through a structured, ready-to-teach lesson. Students learn to recognise health and legal facts about vaping, understand its environmental impact, and practise safer decision-making and help-seeking when faced with peer pressure.
Substances & Risky Behaviours
Snapshot
Vaping: A Global Dilemma
The lesson gives teachers a structured way to introduce vaping as a health and environmental issue without relying on scare tactics. Feedback: 4.4/5 from 109 teacher ratings
Prep time:
5 to 10 minutes
Lesson length:
45 to 50 minutes
Key Focus
Understanding the health and environmental impact of vaping and practising safer decision-making
Lesson Format
Teacher-led discussion and structured activities
What students will learn
By the end of the lesson, students will be supported to:
Recognise
Recognise common facts and misconceptions about vaping and its health effects
Recognise the environmental impact of disposable vapes, including waste and materials
Recognise situations where peer pressure may influence decisions about vaping
Understand
Understand why vaping is a health and legal concern for young people
Understand how individual choices around vaping can connect to a wider environmental issue
Practise
Practise language for saying no or stepping back from peer pressure around vaping
Practise identifying trusted adults or support pathways if they have questions or concerns about vaping
Practise weighing up health, legal and environmental information before forming an opinion
Who this lesson is for?
This lesson is designed for secondary students in Years 7 to 9 who are old enough to discuss health, legal and environmental information in a factual, non-judgemental way. It works well for students who have had some exposure to health education topics but may have varying levels of accurate knowledge about vaping.
It is suitable for:
secondary wellbeing lessons
Health or PDHPE teaching
pastoral care or advisory sessions
substance use or risky behaviour units
whole-cohort health education programs
Suitability should be based on more than age alone. Teachers should consider the lesson focus, student maturity, cohort needs, classroom culture, existing discussion norms and available support pathways.
Best used when
Use this lesson when students need clear, practical language for recognising unkind behaviour and knowing what to do next.
Introducing substance use education Use when students are being introduced to vaping as a health and environmental topic for the first time.
Building classroom culture around informed choices Use when reinforcing a classroom culture where students feel able to ask questions without judgement.
Supporting inclusion in health discussions Use when you want all students to access the same factual information, regardless of their prior experience with vaping.
Practising safe responses to peer pressure Use when students are learning how to navigate social pressure around vaping in everyday situations.
Reinforcing health and PDHPE learning Use when connecting classroom health content to real-world environmental and social issues.
Supporting help-seeking Use when students need to know where to go if they have questions or concerns about vaping.
The lesson can be used proactively with the whole class. It does not need to follow a specific incident.
Why this lesson matters
Vaping is a topic many students will encounter socially, whether through friends, family or wider community exposure, and they benefit from accurate, non-judgemental information rather than assumptions picked up elsewhere. This lesson matters because it connects a personal health decision to a bigger picture. Understanding the environmental cost of disposable vapes, alongside health and legal facts, gives students a fuller basis for making informed choices. Building this knowledge early supports students to navigate peer pressure with more confidence and to know where to turn if they want support, rather than relying on scare tactics or assumptions.
How this lesson supports wellbeing
This lesson supports student wellbeing by building practical social and emotional skills students can use in everyday school life. It helps students develop:
Capability How the lesson supports it
Health literacy Students build accurate knowledge about the health effects of vaping.
Critical thinking Students weigh up health, legal and environmental information rather than relying on assumptions.
Environmental awareness Students consider the wider impact of vaping waste on the planet.
Decision-making Students practise thinking through choices in social situations involving vaping.
Peer pressure management Students practise language for navigating social pressure safely.
Help-seeking Students identify where to go if they want support or more information.
For teachers and school leaders, the lesson contributes to broader wellbeing, respectful relationships, child safety and pastoral care goals in Australian primary schools.
Teaching notes & Delivery Considerations
This lesson includes content about unkind behaviour, exclusion and asking adults for help. It should be taught with calm, clear discussion norms.
Before teaching
Remind students not to name classmates or share personal stories about vaping
Frame the discussion around facts and general scenarios, rather than personal disclosures
Make clear that the lesson is about building knowledge and safer decision-making, not judging individual choices
Be prepared to follow your school's child safety, wellbeing or child protection procedures if a student discloses harm or says they feel unsafe
During delivery
Keep the tone factual and non-judgemental when discussing health and legal information
Give students space to ask questions without assuming prior vaping experience
Balance the health discussion with the environmental angle so the lesson does not become one-sided
Reinforce that students can seek support privately if they have concerns
Supporting safe discussion
Use general examples and scenarios rather than personal experiences
Avoid asking students to speak on behalf of friends, family or particular groups
Identify trusted adults or support pathways students can access at school
Adaptation options
Use small group discussion for classes that are less confident speaking up in whole-class settings
Spend more time on the environmental angle for classes with strong interest in sustainability
Adjust the depth of legal and health detail depending on prior learning in Health or PDHPE
