Disposable vapes must be completely banned to help tackle child vaping, the Children’s Commissioner for England has demanded.
Dame Rachel de Souza warned the "Wild West" market urgently needs stricter regulation with some 16% of 11 to 17-year-olds having tried vaping.
She called it “insidious” that companies were intentionally marketing and promoting vapes to children with bright colours and flavours.
The former headteacher said vapes must be sold in plain packaging and called for age-of-sale signs on vaping products like cigarettes.
The sale of nicotine-free vapes to children should also be banned and it should be made easier to issue on the spot fines for those selling vapes to kids, she said.
Dame Rachel also called for the outright ban on disposable vapes as they are the cheapest vapes available and therefore more attractive to children.
She said: “I am concerned by the rise in the number of children vaping in this country, particularly given the risks it poses to their health and wellbeing. It is deeply worrying to hear how children feel pressured to vape.
“Many children who are addicted to vaping have never even smoked tobacco, with vaping acting as a gateway rather than a quitting strategy.
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“Children deserve to lead long, happy, healthy lives, which is why I am unequivocal in my view that no child should be smoking or vaping."
Dame Rachel's report, which included a recent survey of more than 3,500 children aged 8 to 17-years-old, revealed that children with existing vulnerabilities such as having a social worker or a disabled parent are more likely to vape.
The questionnaire showed kids often felt peer pressured to vape and that the habit was seen as being “cool” or “popular”.
One 13-year-old girl said: “At my school, you can see children going in the bathrooms vaping and saying it looks cool.”
A 12-year-old girl said she believed social media was the reason children are being influenced to do wrong things, adding: “Some of these things are seen as cool at a young age.”
The latest survey data from 2022 suggests 16% of 11 to 17-year-olds had tried vaping, compared to 11% in 2021 and 14% in 2020, according to research by Action on Smoking and Health.
These figures varied by age group: 10% of 11 to 15-year-olds had tried vaping, compared to 29% of 16 to 17-year-olds and 41% among 18-year-olds.
Dame Rachel added: “The DHSC’s consultation on youth vaping is a timely opportunity to consider the risks, and I sincerely hope it will be the catalyst for change that is so urgently needed.”
A Department for Health and Social Care spokeswoman 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 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.”
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