A video circulating on Threads on Tuesday shows six schoolgirls in uniform squeezed into a single toilet cubicle, with one apparently vaping an e-cigarette.
The 20-second clip, said to have been reposted from Snapchat last week, showed the girls laughing before the camera turned to a girl behind the filmer holding what appeared to be an e-cigarette. When she noticed she was being filmed, she made a V-sign and smiled.
Netizens identified the school as Po Leung Kuk Yao Ling Sun College in Tsuen Wan and urged the Education Bureau and the school to address the issue.
The school said it is very concerned about the video, has met with the parents concerned and is following up seriously. It said it has always been committed to cultivating students' good character and has established disciplinary and counseling mechanisms to provide support and guidance.
The Education Bureau said it is very concerned, has contacted the school immediately, and understands the school has activated its crisis management mechanism and is following up under its school-based disciplinary and counseling mechanism. It has reminded the school to strengthen students' correct values and behavior and will continue to provide advice and support.
The school previously had a video of a student in uniform smoking on a rooftop circulate in September, which the school said after verification had occurred two to three years earlier and was seriously followed up at the time.
Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance, all indoor areas of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions, as well as public places within three meters of school-specific entrances and exits, are strictly designated no-smoking areas. Anyone who smokes or uses alternative smoking products, including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and herbal cigarettes, in a no-smoking area faces a fixed penalty of HK$3,000.
Possession of e-cigarette pods, e-liquids, heated tobacco sticks and herbal cigarette substances in public places is also illegal, even without actual use, with a fixed penalty of HK$3,000 for non-commercial possession of small quantities, or a fine of HK$10,000 on summary conviction. Importing, promoting, manufacturing or selling e-cigarette products carries a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and six months' imprisonment.
