Vaping, Kpods and teenage risk-taking: An old problem in a new world

The stakes are higher now and harmful substances more accessible.

- David Teo and Jared Ng

When a grieving father in Singapore recently shared how he lost his 19-year-old daughter to Kpod addiction, it struck a chord. His grief was raw, his words honest. His decision to speak out was not merely an act of remembrance. It was a warning to all of us.

He is far from alone. Increasing numbers of teenagers here are turning to vaping and, more worryingly, to vape pods laced with sedatives such as ketamine or etomidate, known as Kpods. These devices look sleek, smell fruity and are easy to hide, but the harm they cause can be permanent.

MODERN-DAY RISKS Both of us have devoted our careers to working with children and teenagers. We both have adolescents. When we heard the reports, we recognised the pattern immediately.

This story is unfortunately not new.

Each generation has had its version of risk-taking. Whether it was smoking behind the school block, stealing sips of alcohol at a party, or sniffing glue in void decks during the 1980s, teenagers have always tested boundaries. It is part of growing up. They seek novelty, excitement and belonging.

We were all teenagers once. More than a few of us did things we now regret or would never want our children to do. It is a reminder that risk-taking is often not about defiance, but about development.

What has changed is the environment young people grow up in. The stakes are higher. Harmful substances are more accessible. And unlike before, online platforms do not just reflect risky behaviour: they amplify it, constantly.