‘Beside himself with craving’: the teenagers hooked on vaping

The proportion of teenagers who vape rose from 3.3% in 2021 to 7% last year, according to Action on Smoking and Health. Photograph: Addictive Stock Creatives/Alamy

When Sarah caught her 13-year-old son vaping in his room last year, he tried a classic teenage line on her. “He said: ‘It’s not mine, it’s my friend’s,’” remembers the teacher from West Yorkshire. “I said: ‘Yeah, pull the other one, it’s got bells on.’”

Liam*, now 14, first tried vaping with two friends after one of them sneaked a parent’s vape. “They’d been watching videos on TikTok showing tricks you can do,” says Sarah. “I think they thought it was cool.”