Health chiefs have criticized companies for selling festive-flavoured vapes to children as they revealed 170 children have been hospitalized for vaping.
Currently, more than one child each week is admitted to hospital with vaping-related injuries, and the rate has quintupled in five years.
Health chiefs said flavors such as mince pie, candy cane, Christmas pudding and gingerbread are “likely to appeal to younger age groups” but there is “nothing cheerful or fun” on the serious effect that vaping can have on your health.
It’s illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18, but NHS England found online stores are “offering Christmas deals and festive flavours” that can be purchased with “little or no cheques”.
He called on stores to tighten their controls in a bid to stem the tide of children becoming addicted to nicotine and falling ill.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said: “With more than 30 children and young people being admitted to hospital for seven months for vaping-related conditions, such as difficulty breathing and potential lung damage, It’s just alarming.”
“With vape companies launching Christmas deals and festive flavors such as Christmas pudding, candy canes, mince pies or gingerbread, they are likely to appeal to younger age groups and, despite websites They often claim that vaporizers are for ages 18 and up, it is possible to purchase them with few or no checks.
“While vaporizers can be a useful tool to help adults quit smoking, they should not be used by children or those under 18 years of age; there is nothing lighthearted or fun about the serious effect they can have on the health of young people, as well as the possible long-term consequences. .
Health chiefs said flavors such as mince pie, candy cane, Christmas pudding and gingerbread are “likely to appeal to younger age groups” (file image)
More than one child every week is admitted to hospital with vaping-related injuries (file image)
“We urge online retailers to ensure they have adequate checks in place, including age verification, to prevent young people from purchasing festive flavored vapes over the festive period.”
New analysis by NHS England reveals that 31 children were admitted to hospital with vaping-related injuries between March and October this year, a rate of 4.42 per month.
This represents an increase on 11 child admissions in all of 2020/21, when the rate was 0.91 per month.
There were 37 such admissions in 2021/22, 40 in 2022/23 and 51 in 2023/24.
There have been 280 hospitalizations for vaping-related disorders across all age groups from March to October this year, up from 177 in all of 2020/21.
Youth vaping has more than doubled in the past four years, with the government blaming “the targeting of vapers at children through flavors, branding and advertising.”
In 2023, one in four young people between 11 and 15 years old had tried vaping.
Indoor vaping will be banned in public places and bright packaging and fruity flavors will be restricted as part of a major government crackdown on the habit.
New analysis from NHS England reveals 31 children were admitted to hospital with vaping-related injuries between March and October this year (file image)
As of February, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has recorded a total of 1,009 reactions to vaporizers. Here are the 10 most common reports.
Retailers will be forced to obtain a license to sell vapes and tobacco and could face fines of up to £2,500 for breaching stricter rules.
Under ministers’ plans, manufacturers will have to sell vapes in plain packaging and stop producing tasty flavors in a bid to make them less attractive to children.
The devices will be hidden from view in stores, as is already the case with cigarettes, and advertising and sponsorship of vaping will be banned.
Shops could face on-the-spot fines of £200 if they are caught breaking the law under trading standards, while repeat offenders could face tougher financial penalties in court and have their license revoked.
The new “world-leading reforms” are contained in the Tobacco and E-Cigarettes Bill, which the Government presented to Parliament last month (November).
Disposable vaporizers will also be banned from June 1, 2025 under separate environmental legislation.
The proposals, which will be subject to public consultation, aim to protect children from nicotine addiction while allowing adult smokers to use vapes as an aid to quit smoking.
Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, described the growing number of children vaping as a “major concern” and said the marketing of vapes to children is “completely unacceptable”.
Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “Currently, unscrupulous manufacturers are able to brand and market vapes to appeal to children, which is unacceptable.”
‘Vaporizers are a valuable smoking cessation tool and less harmful than smoking, but as this data shows, they are not without risks.
‘Legislation currently going through Parliament will help address this issue, and regulations should be prioritized to prevent vaporizers from being marketed to children.
“While these data are very worrying, we must also remember that smoking remains much more lethal and that many, many more children will be admitted to hospital each year as a result of exposure to smoke.
“It is vital that the Government continues to address the issue of smoking while developing responsible regulations for vaping.”