Teenage vaping: ‘I’ll have puffs as I’m falling asleep’

Vaping has become a way of life for Leia, 17, alongside a growing number of children across the UK. She spoke to BBC Panorama about the hold vaping has over her life - and her determination to quit.

Leia tips a bag full of used disposable vapes on to her bed.

They're brightly coloured and come in flavours such as pink lemonade, cotton candy and gummy bear.

"The flavouring makes it so much nicer than having a cigarette," says the teenager, from Newcastle.

Leia started smoking cigarettes when she was 12 and switched to vapes at 14 as a healthier alternative.

Health experts largely agree that vapes - or e-cigarettes - are a good way to wean adults off smoking. This is because it is widely thought that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking because there are far fewer toxins in vapes than in tobacco smoke.

But the e-cigarette vapour that is inhaled can still contain chemicals, including nicotine, which is highly addictive.

Scientists are looking into the potential health risks of vaping and they say it could be decades before the long-term effects are fully known.

It is illegal to sell vapes to children and there are growing concerns that young people are becoming dependent on them.

When Leia is at home, she puffs on hers near-constantly.

"The second I wake up I'm reaching for my vape," says Leia. "I'll have puffs as I'm falling asleep at night and sometimes I'll fall asleep with it in my hand."

She describes it as the sort of compulsion people have with their phones - picking it up without even thinking about it, and feeling jittery when it's not within reach.

While it is illegal for shops to sell vapes to under 18s, Leia says she has never been asked for ID in the three years she's been buying them from convenience stores.

Rachel Burden investigates the youth vaping phenomenon and asks if we should be worried about young people getting addicted.

Watch on BBC One at 20:00 (22:40 in Wales) on Monday 4 September - and afterwards on BBC iPlayer (UK only)

Figures from the 2023 Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) survey of young vapers in England, Scotland and Wales suggest one in five children (11-17 year olds) have tried vaping.

The numbers of children experimenting with vapes (trying them once or twice) is up 50% from the 2022 survey.

BBC Panorama spoke to teachers who say vaping has become a major challenge for schools.

It has become a bigger issue than smoking, alcohol and drug use, says Stuart Beeley, headteacher of a school in Greater Manchester.

"[This is] because of the temptation these devices provide and also the ease with which one can vape and not be detected," he says. Mr Beeley has worked in education for 31 years.

Vaping in toilets has become so disruptive at the school that it has spent £20,000 installing vape sensors.

Leia has been trying to quit for three weeks now. She says she has had withdrawal headaches and struggled emotionally. The mornings have been the toughest.

"I find it hard to function without waking up and having a go on it," she says.

She has been chewing gum and having energy drinks to ward off the temptation to vape.

"The thought in the back of my head to go and have a vape is always there," she says. "If I'm stressed or upset, my vape is like a shoulder to lean on."

Leia's mum would like to see her daughter quit vaping, but thinks it is probably better than smoking.

There are few restrictions on how vapes are marketed in UK shops and she agrees with those who argue that, with their bright colours and fruity flavours, disposable vapes are deliberately designed to appeal to young people.

John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), a trade body set up to represent the vape industry, accepts there is a problem with the growing numbers of teenagers vaping.

But he disputes that some vape flavours, like gummy bear, are deliberately designed to be attractive to children.

Adults - including himself - also like sweets, he says, but conceded that the flavour name "Unicorn Shake" should not be allowed.

UKVIA has talked to the government about looking at the current system around naming of products, he says, and the trade body wants to see fines of up to £10,000 for distributors and retailers selling to under 18s.

"The fines… are ridiculously low, if non-existent," he says.

"We had a case where one retailer, for instance, was fined £26 by a court for selling to a 14-year-old. We're not out there to get young people hooked on these products. That's not our goal."

UK regulations state disposable vapes must not contain more than 2ml of e-liquid, which amounts to about 600 puffs.

But bigger vapes, with thousands of puffs, are widely available. Leia will often buy ones offering many times the maximum volume of e-liquid.

She didn't know these were illegal until she spoke to the BBC. "I smoke them because it is more puffs for your money," she says.

Now she is worried about the health risks and wants to quit.

"I just don't think you know what you're smoking," she says.

In a statement, the Department of Health said it was "concerned" about the rise in youth vaping.

"We held a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products and we are considering a range of options," it said.

It has also allocated £3m to tackle the sale of illegal vapes in England.

Despite the challenges, Leia says she is determined to quit and has been managing to slowly taper her usage.

She has begun to buy vapes with fewer puffs and is trying to limit her use of them.

She wants to warn other young people off vaping.

"Don't do it for the fun of it, it's honestly not worth it," she says.

"If you don't rely on something you can just get on with your day and money-wise you can do so many other things."