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By Tehreem Zahra
Over the past decade, the vaping market has experienced a rapid surge in popularity. Unfortunately, this popularity has come with a heavy toll on public health. The use of e-cigarettes among youth and young adults has become an alarming public health concern. Not only do these devices contain addictive nicotine, but they also expose young individuals to harmful chemicals and toxins.
E-cigarettes are becoming one of the reasons behind our young children’s bad habits, which affect them physically as well as mentally because of the addiction they get from the product. According to the Action on Smoking and Health Survey 2023, the figures of current vaping have gone to 4.6% among those aged 11-15, 15% for 16-17, and 18% for 18-year-olds, making it very clear how vaping is becoming part of our young youth in the UK.
Many parents in the UK are worried for their children’s health as there are a large number of young teens who are seriously addicted to vaping, making it worse for their health. Many health experts are asking for a complete ban on e-cigarettes as vaping contains toxic chemicals that impact children’s physical and mental health, can lead to lung damage and can be harmful for young brains.
In addition, the use of flavoured e-liquids and attractive marketing tactics have drawn young children to vaping, leading to a new generation of nicotine addicts. Many children in the UK spend most of their money buying vapes, with more than 500 puffs every other day.
Photo by Tehreem Zahra
Deryace Banou is a 21-year-old studying dentistry who has been smoking since the age of 16. She said that the main things that influenced her to start smoking were “packaging” and “the people around her,” as she thought it made her look cool. She is now addicted to smoking and vaping, and regrets ever taking up the habit.
“I know it’s terrible for my health, but I can’t stop myself,” said Banou, who started vaping at the age of 16. “I’m severally addicted, and I finish one vape in two days.”
She has tried to stop smoking many times by promising herself to never smoke again, which never happened. “My advice, especially for young people not to try this; it’s cool to begin with but it’s addicting, and later on, it’s really hard to get rid of.”
Audio by Tehreem Zahra
To vape or not to vape?
Electronic cigarettes were created in Beijing, China, by Hon Lik, a 52-year-old pharmacist, inventor, and smoker. Looking into the health habits of smokers, he strived to create an alternative to smoking, as it was believed that vaping was a healthier alternative to cigarettes.
In order to create a smoke-free generation and tackle youth vaping, the Prime Minister announced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, November 2023 – it was introduced to Parliament in March this year. The bill includes a new law to stop children who turn 15 this year or younger from legally being allowed to purchase cigarettes or other tobacco products.
It also will make “vape products less attractive to children, by introducing restrictions on vape flavours, product descriptions, packaging, promotions, shop displays and increasing the price of vapes”, according to the bill. Shop owners can be fined £100 if they sell to underage customers, building up to a fine of £2,500, which has already been imposed by local authorities.
Shabeer Khan, who owns a mobile shop and vape shop in North London, said that even after refusing young kids from selling vapes, they “somehow manage to buy from somewhere else,” even after not showing their ID.
He stated that vapes are not good for the kids; they are not supposed to be for the kids and are also not good for the environment.
Khan believes that the packaging is the main thing that attracts people, as it is made of many different colours and logos, which attracts people to even buy more as “it looks very appealing to them”.
Video by Tehreem Zahra
According to Khan, instead of focusing on changing the packaging, the government should focus on making ”more on stricter rules for shopkeepers” in order to save children from this nicotine product.
Additionally, he discussed the critical role parents have in preventing their children from smoking this dangerous substance “Parents have a big vital role to play in this,” he said, adding that if parents keep an eye on their kids, tell them how dangerous it is for their health, and discourage them from doing it, it can have a “positive impact” on what they think.
Video by Tehreem Zahra
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has said that smoking is the most preventable cause of ill health, disability and premature death. He told ITV This Morning that it is “ridiculous” that vapes are designed to appeal to children, instead of being fabricated for adults who want to quit smoking, according to the BBC.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins that smoking kills over 80,000 people each year and contributes to one in every four cancer-related deaths in the United Kingdom.
According to NHS England, vaping is “substantially less harmful than smoking”, but it’s not completely harmless. It is, she said, a helpful tool for adults who want to quit the nicotine habit, as Sunak has pointed out.
The rise of vaping among young children poses a significant threat to public health and requires immediate action to address. While vaping may offer some benefits as a smoking cessation tool for adults, its impact on young people’s health and development cannot be ignored.
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