Number of children trying vaping rises 50% in a year in ‘tide of experimentation’ – Sky News

By Siba Jackson, news reporter

Thursday 18 May 2023 05:53, UK

The number of children trying out vaping has risen by 50% in the past year as campaigners call for a crackdown to "stem the tide of child vape experimentation".

Experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds in Britain increased from 7.7% to 11.6%, the data showed.

While the number of children who admitted trying vaping once or twice has roughly doubled in the past nine years, from 5.6% in 2014 to 11.6% this year.

The figures are based on a survey of 2,656 young people conducted in March and April this year by YouGov for charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

They will be submitted as part of the government's call for evidence on measures to lower the number of children who vape - but also ensure e-cigarettes can be accessed by adults who want to stop smoking.

When asked why they vape, 40% of children surveyed said they just wanted to give them a try, with 19% admitting they wanted to join in with others and a further 14% saying they liked the flavours.

Although it is illegal to sell vaping devices to people under 18, there are numerous social media posts from teenagers discussing flavours such as pink lemonade, strawberry, banana and mango.

It follows earlier warnings from experts that the new generation of disposable vapes - which are known as "puff bars" and contain nicotine - have flooded the market.

The use of disposable devices among children who vape has soared from just 7.7% in 2021 to 69% in 2023, the research found.

They are most commonly bought at corner shops, followed by petrol stations and online.

'Child-friendly promotion' of cheap and attractive products

An increased number of children said they were aware of vaping promotions in shops, rising from 37% last year to 53% this year.

They also noted adverts for vaping on buses and social media platforms, with almost half of those surveyed citing promotions on TikTok.

Some 29% saw them on YouTube, 28% on Instagram and 24% on Facebook, the research found.

ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott said: "We need to stem the tide of child vape experimentation and the government's investment in a crackdown on illegal underage sales of vapes is a vital first step.

"But enforcement on its own won't do the trick without tougher regulation to address the child-friendly promotion of these cheap and attractive products.

"The evidence is clear, government needs to take strong action to prevent the marketing of vapes to children."

Dad Geoff Worsley, from Abergele, North Wales, launched a petition entitled Stop Children Vaping - More Regulation Now, which has received more than 100,000 signatures.

He is calling on the government to introduce tougher regulation immediately.

"Parents like me up and down the country are calling on the government to act to protect our children from vaping as well as smoking," Mr Worsley said.

"More funding for enforcement is a good first step, but it's not enough.

"Vaping is safer and better for smokers than smoking, but it shouldn't be promoted to children.

"Regulations are needed to prevent vapes being openly sold in prominent positions within shops, in brightly coloured packaging and sweet names attractive to kids."

Read more: Government unveils plans for 'illegal vape enforcement squads'More than four million Brits use e-cigarettes - but 350,000 have never smoked

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Misconceptions over vaping

ASH said fears that vaping is leading to a new generation addicted to nicotine are not justified by the current evidence.

The data showed most of the 20.5% of young people who have ever vaped have only tried it once or twice, the charity said.

Some vape less than once a week and others no longer do so.

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Just 2% of children surveyed said they vape daily.

Some 63% who tried vaping once or twice had never smoked.

But 71% of those who currently vape have tried smoking.

Professor of tobacco addictions at Kings College London, Ann McNeill, said a "well-funded communications campaign" was necessary to address "growing misconceptions" over vaping.

"These misconceptions are likely to encourage children to believe that they might as well smoke as vape, and discourage adults who smoke but have never vaped from taking up the government's 'swap to stop' offer (using vapes instead of cigarettes)," she said.

The new data showed no significant change since last year in the number of children smoking - which dropped from 4.8% to 3.6% in 2023.

The children who say they currently vape rose slightly from 6.9% last year to 7.6% this year.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "It's already illegal to sell vapes to children and we are exploring further ways to tackle youth vaping through our newly launched call for evidence, which will look at the appearance and characteristics of vapes, the marketing and promotion of vapes, and the role of social media."

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Number of children trying vaping rises 50% in a year in 'tide of experimentation' - Sky News