Fresh concern over number of young people vaping in North Yorkshire

Teenagers tell us it's a social activity they do with their friends

Author: Kathy GreenPublished 18th May 2023

There's fresh concerns over the number of young people who vape in North Yorkshire.

We asked several teenagers why they have started vaping, when they never smoked: "Just for the taste really, it's just a trend a lot of people do it." Another told us: "It just feels nice and it's just relaxing, and if you are at a party or something then everyone is doing it so it's kind of nice to do together."

It's as new figures show there has been a 50% rise in the last year in the proportion of children trying vaping.

The data for Great Britain shows a rise in experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds, from 7.7% last year to 11.6% this year.

Children were asked if they had ever tried vaping once or twice, with the proportion roughly doubling in nine years, from 5.6% in 2014 to 11.6% this year.

Asked what they used, disposable vapes appear to be the e-cigarette of choice among youngsters, while purchases of vapes are mostly made from corner shops.

It is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s but social media carries posts from teenagers showing vapes and discussing flavours such as pink lemonade, strawberry, banana and mango.

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

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 Government's call for evidence on measures to reduce the number of children accessing vaping, while ensuring e-cigarettes can still be used by adults who want to quit smoking.

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.

"The Ash youth survey demonstrates the rapid growth of instore promotion of vapes, using brightly coloured pack displays, reminiscent of cigarette displays from yesteryear.

"The evidence is clear, government needs to take strong action to prevent the marketing of vapes to children."

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