Paediatricians have sent an urgent warning to parents, as they state that "youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children" in the UK.
The doctors have also called on the UK Government to ban disposable vapes, in response to a consultation on the popular e-cigarettes.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) have warned that the vapes "are not a risk-free product and can be just as addictive, if not more so than traditional cigarettes."
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They have called for urgent action to protect children, as they claim that experts have agreed that longer-term data is required to understand the affects of vaping - particularly in regard to cardiovascular disease.
The RCPCH said: "However, since e-cigarettes have only been on sale in the UK since 2007, long-term studies don’t yet exist.
“We have even less evidence on the long-term impacts of these products on young lungs, hearts and brains.
“It took experts decades to fully understand the impact of traditional cigarettes, we cannot risk our children’s health in waiting this long again for longer-term studies.”
Studies by the Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found that there has been a 50 per cent rise in the last year in the UK of children trying disposable vapes.
The research found that a rise in experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds went from 7.7 per cent last year to 11.6 per cent this year.
Young people were asked if they had tried vaping before, with the proportion roughly doubling in nine years, from 5.6 per cent in 2014 to 11.6 per cent now.
Disposable vapes appear to be the e-cigarette of choice among youngsters, while purchases of vapes are mostly made from corner shops.
In 2021, young people who vape were least likely to use disposable vapes - 7.7 per cent - but in 2022, they became the most used, up to 52 per cent.
And in 2023, this figure continued to soar, to 69 per cent of people.
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 watermelon.
To conclude, the RCPCH has said that "serious environmental impact of disposable e-cigarettes" must not be ignored.
Its vice president for policy and paediatric respiratory consultant, Dr Mike McKean, said: "Without a doubt, disposable e-cigarettes should be banned.
"There is absolutely no reason that these cheap, readily available, brightly coloured, recreational products should be single use.
“Youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children, and I fear that if action is not taken, we will find ourselves sleepwalking into a crisis.
"Westminster’s approach to this problem is out of step with even our closest neighbours, with countries such as Scotland, France, Germany, and Ireland all seriously considering a ban…
"The Government in Westminster has the responsibility and capability to make a choice that will have far-reaching consequences, potentially for generations to come."
Libby Peake, head of resource policy at Green Alliance, said disposable vapes were "the last thing our children and the planet need."
She added: "They waste resources that are critical to the green transition – like lithium needed for the batteries that power electric cars.
"They’re extremely harmful when littered, because their batteries are a fire risk and the plastic and nicotine they contain are hazardous. And recycling them will always be labour-intensive and expensive."
In Ash's consultation response, they noted that there were "four high-impact interventions" that ministers must urgently bring in.
These included:
- putting a specific tax on disposable vapes of £5
prohibit branding that would appeal to children
reinstate funding for sustained anti-smoking campaigns promoting vaping as the most effective quitting aid available for adult smokers
prohibit in-store promotion of e-cigarettes with exemptions for age-restricted, specialist vape shops
This news comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said a new Government crackdown on vape marketing will prevent the “unacceptable” targeting of children and young people.
The Prime Minister also used an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain to express concern about his own daughters potentially being targeted by vape marketing.
The UK Government also noted that there is to be a review into banning retailers selling "nicotine-free" vapes to those under the age of 18.
Regarding its evidence to ministers, Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash, said it called for tougher regulations last year but was ignored.
She said: "Now that the Prime Minister is convinced, perhaps action will finally be taken. Children are highly price sensitive so top of our list is to make disposable vapes less affordable by adding a £5 excise tax, which could be achieved immediately with a finance bill.
"This would not only increase the price but also make their distribution subject to much more stringent controls, making it easier to prevent illicit and underage sales."
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