According to official figures, children up to four years old are hospitalized due to vaping.
The revelation comes amid an eight-fold increase in the number of under-20s needing treatment for the habit.
NHS England said doctors have seen a 276 per cent increase in the number of patients of all ages admitted for vaping-related disorders since 2020.
But rates among teens and younger have risen more than twice as fast over the same period, 733 percent.
Young people accounted for just 6 in 100 vaping-related admissions in 2020, a figure that rose to 14 in 100 last year, according to data released under freedom of information laws.
Health charities described the findings as “deeply worrying” as they urged non-smokers not to take up vaping and called on ministers to crack down on unscrupulous sellers.
Last year, doctors admitted 365 patients who had been harmed by vaping, of whom 50 were children and 11 were under five years old.
In 2020, there were only six children, none of whom were preschoolers.
It comes days after a Public Health Wales review recommended giving nicotine patches or gum to children addicted to vaping.
Data from NHS Digital, based on the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Taking Survey among Young People in England for 2021, showed that 30 per cent of children in Yorkshire and the Humber have used a vape.
Teachers reported that students suffered from “cravings” and “shakes,” which prevented them from finishing a single class without losing concentration and needing a nicotine fix.
Meanwhile, the Westminster government has announced it will ban e-cigarette packaging and flavors that appeal to children at one point to stop them developing a habit.
Rishi Sunak has previously said it is “ridiculous” that vaping is being promoted to children and that he doesn’t want his young daughters to “get seduced by this stuff”. Disposable vaporizers will also be banned, as they are more affordable for children and represent a plague on the environment.
Jonathan Grigg, professor of pediatric respiratory medicine at Queen Mary University of London, said: “This rise in hospitalizations is an entirely predictable consequence of the government’s decision to allow vaping free for all, with flavors designed to appeal to children. and young people”. people and the disastrous assumption that vaping has little or no adverse health effects.’
Sarah MacFadyen, head of policy and public affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said the figures were “deeply worrying”.
He added: ‘Asthma + Lung UK emphasizes our position: it is already illegal to sell vapes to under-18s, and we strongly advise non-smokers, especially children, from taking up vaping.
‘It is crucial that the government takes action to prevent the vaping industry from marketing its products aimed at children.
‘Enforcement of age-of-sale laws is also an issue and should be better resourced so that young people cannot access vaporizers.
“Our top priority is to protect the health of young people from the dangers of tobacco and prevent them from starting to vape.”
Figures show 97 people were admitted to hospital with vaping-related disorders in 2020, including one child aged 10 to 14 and five aged 15 to 19.
In 2021, 300 people entered, including 19 children, of which three were ten years old or younger and 16, between 10 and 19 years old.
In 2022, this number increased to 457 people, including 50 children. There were 19 admissions among children four years old or younger, two from 5 to 9 years old, nine from 10 to 14 years old and 20 from 15 to 19 years old.
In 2023, the total was 365, again with 50 children, of which 11 were preschoolers, 12 were between 10 and 14 years old, and 27 were between 15 and 19 years old.
Only January intake figures for 2024 have been released, showing a total of 20, of whom three were aged 19 or younger.
There are currently more women than men admitted to hospitals for vaping problems. In 2020, 46 percent of admissions were women, but last year it was 57 percent.
Everything you need to know about electronic cigarettes
How much nicotine is in an electronic cigarette?
There are many different brands of e-cigarettes that contain different levels of nicotine.
The legal amount of nicotine in an e-liquid capacity in the UK is 20 mg/ml, which is equivalent to between 600 and 800 puffs.
The Elf Bar 600, one of Britain’s most popular vaporizers, is advertised with nicotine strengths of 0 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg.
How many cigarettes are “in” an electronic cigarette?
According to analysts, Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent of 48 cigarettes.
It takes 600 puffs before you have to throw it away, which means that, in theory, every 12.5 puffs is equivalent to one cigarette.
Experts say that for many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs are equivalent to ten regular cigarettes.
Elf Bars is a brand of e-cigarettes that are often sold in stylish colors and with kid-friendly names and flavors, like Blue Razz Lemonade and Green Gummy Bear.
Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?
According to the NHS, vaping products are considered better than cigarettes as users are exposed to fewer toxins and at lower levels.
The health service adds that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung diseases, and heart and circulation diseases, such as strokes and heart attacks.
Public Health England, which no longer exists, published an independent expert review in 2015 that concluded that e-cigarettes are around 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes.
However, vaping is not risk-free, as although the levels in tobacco products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers at the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.
And Dr. Onkar Mudhar, a London dentist who posts videos on TikTok, said Elf bars can cause gum inflammation, swelling and bleeding.
He said this is because nicotine dries out the mouth and reduces saliva, causing irritation due to a buildup of bacteria and food that cannot be removed.
Almost 350 vaping hospitalizations were recorded in England in 2022, which are thought to be mainly due to respiratory problems such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.