Paediatricians are calling for a ban on disposable vapes, warning that “youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children.”
In response to a government consultation on e-cigarettes, which closes on Tuesday, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) warned that e-cigarettes “are not a risk-free product and can be just as addictive, if not more so than traditional cigarettes.”
Long-Term Studies
“However, since e-cigarettes have only been on sale in the UK since 2007, long-term studies don’t yet exist,” it said.“We have even less evidence on the long-term impacts of these products on young lungs, hearts, and brains.
“It took experts decades to fully understand the impact of traditional cigarettes, we cannot risk our children’s health in waiting this long again for longer-term studies.”
The highest use trend was among girls aged 15, which rose from 10 percent in 2018 to 21 percent in 2021.
RCPCH vice president for policy and paediatric respiratory consultant, Dr. Mike McKean, said: “Without a doubt, disposable e-cigarettes should be banned.
“There is absolutely no reason that these cheap, readily available, brightly coloured, recreational products should be single use.
“Youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children, and I fear that if action is not taken, we will find ourselves sleepwalking into a crisis.
“Westminster’s approach to this problem is out of step with even our closest neighbours, with countries such as Scotland, France, Germany, and Ireland all seriously considering a ban.
“The government in Westminster has the responsibility and capability to make a choice that will have far-reaching consequences, potentially for generations to come.”
The charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has campaigned to close the loophole that allows free distribution of e-cigarettes to under-18s despite sales being illegal.
The government said that there will also be a review into banning retailers selling “nicotine-free” vapes to under-18s.
It added that there will also be a review of the rules on issuing fines to shops that illegally sell vapes to children, which the government said could make it easier for local trading standards officials to issue on-the-spot fines and fixed penalty notices.
ASH has also found that children were increasingly drawn to cheap disposable e-cigarettes which come in candy, alcoholic drink, energy drink, soft drink flavours, and more.
ASH also found that the young are influenced by social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram.
Crackdown
A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to children and we are concerned about the recent rises in youth vaping – particularly because of the unknown long-term harms.“We are taking bold action to crack down on youth vaping through the £3 million illicit vapes enforcement squad to tackle underage sales to children.
“We have also launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products and explore where the government can go further.”
