How to talk to children about vaping
A NEW SURVEY REVEALS A WORRYING RISE IN SALES OF VAPES TO UNDER-18s. KATIE WRIGHT
CHILDREN as young as 12 are being sold vapes illegally, according to new research from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (tradingstandards.uk).
The study found that there has been a rise in illicit sales of vaping products – which are illegal for under-18s – by specialist shops and convenience stores over the past year, with more than 1.4 tonnes of illegal vapes seized in the last six months of 2022 in the north east of England alone.
Trading Standards teams across England and Wales reported a significant rise in underage vape sales last year.
There are also concerns that some products may be designed specifically to appeal to children and young people, with packaging and flavours emulating popular confectionery brands.
Vapes, e-cigarettes and their refill containers are regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and must comply with tank capacity and nicotine strength limits, while their labels must display manufacturer details and health warnings.
However, Trading Standards said many of the devices it seized flouted these rules.
CTSI chief executive John Herriman said: “While we recognise that vaping can be a useful quitting aid for smokers, we are worried about increasing breaches of the law, with many non-compliant devices being sold on the UK’s high streets.
“There is also an increasing problem with vaping products being sold to children in many general retail premises such as mobile phone shops, gift shops and convenience stores.
“Trading Standards teams are doing vital work by cracking down on the unscrupulous retailers who are selling these products to young people without the legally required age verification checks.
“It is important that vaping prodcomply with rules that were established to safeguard public health, and that they do not end up in the hands of children.”
Experts have called for a crackdown on the sale of vapes to children, with a review last year concluding that little was known about the long-term impact of e-cigarettes on health. Research published in July found the proucts portion of children vaping is on the rise, with many being influenced by social media sites.
Why is vaping bad for children’s health?
“We could argue vaping doesn’t have the amount of toxins cigarettes have – up to 70 of these cause cancer – but vaping is not completely harmless,” says GP Dr Anita Raja (dranitaraja.com).
“It’s very important to protect your organs, especially your lungs and brain.
“Vaping can be particularly detrimental to people under the age of 18 who are still developing.”
Most vapes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can cause can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, flow of blood to the heart and a narrowing of the arteries.
“It can become very difficult to get
Let’s not forget when cigarettes were introduced many decades ago we didn’t know that they could cause cancers and long-term irreversible lung damage. Dr Anita Raja, right
off the nicotine – so why would you want to be addicted at such a young age?” Dr Raja asks.
The other problem with vaping is that experts don’t yet fully understand the long-term risks because it’s such a new phenomenon, she adds.
“Let’s not forget when cigarettes were introduced many decades ago we didn’t know that they could cause cancers and long-term irreversible lung damage.”
How to talk to your children
“First up, learn about the facts of vaping yourself. Get information from a reliable source,” says parenting expert Liat Hughes Joshi, author of Help Your Child Cope with Change (liathughesjoshi.co.uk).
“So that when you do end up discussing this with your teenager you’re coming at it from a place of knowledge and you’ll feel more confident.”
The conversation could be tricky, so approach it calmly. She advises: “Choose your time and place carefully.
“Don’t pounce on your teenager when they’re in the middle of something or when they are stressed about an exam. Choose a time where you’re both feeling relatively relaxed.”
It may be tempting to lay down the law and set out strict punishments that will occur if you ever catch your child vaping but a more gentle approach tends to be more effective.
“Instead of telling them not to, what you are much better doing is giving them that information about the real risks and the downsides of vaping, so that they can hopefully make a decision of their own which is the right decision,” Liat says.
“It’s definitely worth talking to them about ideas around [peer pressure] and giving them the confidence to push back and say, ‘I don’t have to copy all my peers if they are vaping’.”
Similarly, if you know or suspect that your child has already vaped, try not to fly off the handle.
“Don’t automatically scold them,” says private GP Dr Suhail Hussain (drsuhailhussain.com).
“Find out why they tried it, and then listen.
“Be understanding and informative, not angry and disappointed that they would do this in the first place.”
What about if you vape yourself but don’t want your child to follow suit? “We need to lead by example,” says Dr Raja, who believes vaping should be used only as a way for adults to quit smoking.
“It is almost impossible to convince your children to not vape if they see you doing it.
“If you don’t want your child to vape, then you shouldn’t vape, or certainly not vape in front of them.”