Pupils of 11 to be taught about dangers of vaping

TEACHERS are to warn pupils as young as 11 that vaping is addictive and dangerous in a bid to stop them from taking it up.

Ministers will give schools briefing packs on the dangers of vaping in the coming weeks.

They will warn youngsters of the addictiveness of nicotine and show that their brains may be more sensitive to side effects.

It is part of the plans by the Department of Health to stem the rise in the number of school children vaping. Other moves include activities and short films to inform them of the risks. And schools could be fitted with vape alarms in toilets.

A Whitehall source told The Times: ‘ The number of children vaping is likely to be higher than NHS figures suggest. It’s a serious concern and the vast majority of them probably wouldn’t otherwise be smoking but risk developing a nicotine addiction from vaping alone, so it’s right that we’re taking action.’ It comes a month after the Government announced a new ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ to crack down on underage vape sales.

Earlier this year, a Mail investigation found that youngsters are buying illegal supersize vapes over the counter from corner shops.

It is illegal to sell vapes containing nicotine to under-18s, but many shops sell the devices to youngsters for around £5 – with no questions asked. Some stores were found to sell devices that are more than five times the legal size, giving users up to 3,500 puffs, instead of the legal limit of between 600 and 800.

The Department of Health said its crackdown would ‘coordinate the efforts of Trading Standards across the country’.