Children are being increasingly exposed to vapes on display in shops, a survey has found, as ministers were urged to crack down on the marketing of e-cigarettes to children.
Researchers at Imperial College London found that two-thirds of under-18s (66 per cent) noticed e-cigarettes on display in shops in 2022, a rise of 9 per cent in four years.
The study analysed data from a survey of around 12,000 young people, aged between 11 and 18, conducted by anti-tobacco campaign group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
Children who vaped were 17 per cent more likely to buy vapes in small shops last year compared with 2019, the study found.
It is illegal to sell vapes to people aged under 18, but health experts have warned that children are being targeted by e-cigarette companies using colourful packaging and fruity flavours.
Vaping is less harmful than smoking but still carries a health risk. Most vapes contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance which can impair the development of the brain during adolescence.
Dr Anthony Laverty, from the School of Public Health at Imperial, who led the research, said ministers needed to take action to “stem e-cigarette advertising and put vapes out of sight and reach of children.”
The latest figures show that more than 100,000 London children had used an e-cigarette in 2021.
Hazel Cheeseman, Deputy Chief Executive at ASH, said: “This analysis shows that instore promotion has the biggest impact, which is why ASH is advocating that promotion and display of e-cigarettes in shops should be prohibited, as should the child friendly packaging and labelling of vapes.”
Professor Nicholas Hopkinson, co-author of the study from Imperial, said that an excise tax on disposable vapes could prevent children from being able to buy them at “pocket money prices”. Many disposable vapes cost as little as £5.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the targeting of children by vape manufacturers is “unacceptable” and has pledged to increase fines for shops selling vapes illegally, but has stopped short of introducing an outright ban.
Opponents of a ban say that it would lead to the growth of a black market and unfairly penalise the significant number of adults who use disposable vapes to quit smoking.
Last month, a senior Tory MP called on Mr Sunak to bring in restrictions on the packaging and marketing of vapes similar to those that apply to tobacco products to tackle the rise in use among teenagers.
Steve Brine, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, said that ministers could maintain a public health message on the potential value of vapes as a tool to quit smoking while also using a regulatory approach to keep them out of the reach of children.
“It’s clear to us that the vaping industry has not gone far enough to ensure that its products don’t appeal to children.
“When you have brightly coloured and branded vapes with flavours that name unicorns, sweets and popular fizzy drinks displayed in locations ranging from newsagents to chicken shops, it’s disingenuous for the industry to claim otherwise.”
