Vaping: Tighter rules calls amid rise in children using vapes

A doubling of children trying vaping within the past decade has prompted calls for tighter regulations.

Geoff Worsley, a father from Abergele, Conwy county, has set up a petition which has more than 100,000 signatures.

He said he was especially concerned about "brightly coloured packaging and sweet names attractive to kids".

YouGov data for Britain suggests experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds rose from 5.6% in 2014 to 11.6% in 2023.

The petition calls for more regulations for shops selling vape products as Mr Worsley believes just spending money on enforcement "is not enough".

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

"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."

During the YouGov survey, disposable vapes were the top e-cigarette of choice, while purchases of vapes were mostly made from corner shops.

It is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s, but social media shows teenagers are accessing the products, and discussing flavours such as pink lemonade, strawberry, banana and mango.

Experts previously warned that a new generation of disposable vapes known as puff bars - which contain nicotine - have flooded the market.

In 2021, child vapers were least likely to vape disposables (7.7%) but in 2022 they became the most used (52%) and this continued to grow to 69% in 2023.

The latest survey of 2,656 youngsters was carried out by YouGov in March and April for Action on Smoking and Health (Ash).

It will be submitted as part of the UK government's call for evidence on measures to reduce the number of children accessing vaping.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of youngsters said their first vape was given to them and in two-thirds of cases it was by a friend.

An almost identical proportion said they usually bought their vapes, most commonly from a corner shop (26%).

Other places included petrol stations or petrol station shops (9.4%) and online (7.6%).

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash, 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."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman 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."