NICOTINE FOR A NEW GENERATION

Vaping is the latest teen craze, but are kids at risk once the fog lifts?

When e-cigarettes emerged onto the British market back in 2007, there was hope they could curb the country’s crippling addiction to cigarettes.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the UK, and e-cigs – or vapes – contain significantly fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes.

In 2017, over 50,000 people quit smoking using vapes. But despite their use being intended for quitters, there has been an astonishing rise in the uptake of vaping by people who have never smoked before – including children. In fact, one in five 15-yearolds are now using a vape.

With fruity flavours and colourful packaging, disposable vape pens are the most popular, but some don’t comply with UK regulations, and their exact chemical make-up and nicotine content are unknown.

And while advertising tobacco on television has been banned since 1965, and cigarette billboards outlawed since 2003, adverts for vapes are now reportedly targeting young people on Tiktok and Instagram.

The effect of their long-term use is yet to be determined, and their increasing popularity has raised alarms that a new generation is becoming hooked on nicotine.

So is vaping putting the health of the nation’s youngsters at risk?