Vapes were once seen as miracle devices that could help nicotine-addicted adults stop smoking, slashing (but not totally erasing) the health risks while they did so.
Today, over two decades on from their initial development, a very different picture is emerging. Bright packaging, must-have brands and fun flavours (watermelon and candyfloss are among the most popular) are enticing younger teens to take up the habit. In fact, according to statistics from the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) group, 18 per cent of UK children aged 11-17 have tried vaping, up from 14 per cent in 2020. And around one in seven 18-24 year olds who never regularly smoked now use e-cigarettes.
Labour has announced that disposable vapes are to be banned from next summer in a move to prevent more children becoming addicted, but it's a worrying picture – especially when you dig into the impact that vaping has on younger lungs. New research by Manchester Metropolitan University found that young people who vape perform worse than non-vapers in tests designed to measure capacity for exercise. The study also found that the performance of young vapers was similar to that of young smokers, adding to growing evidence that long-term use of vaping is harmful.
‘Previous research has shown that vaping is linked to lung inflammation and damage, and harmful changes to the blood vessels,’ says Dr Azmy Faisal, senior lecturer in cardiorespiratory physiology and one of the study authors. ‘Although some research suggests that vaping could be used to cut back or quit smoking, we don’t yet know what longer-term vaping use does to our bodies.’
People of all ages who vape are at twice the risk of bronchitis and 81% more likely to suffer from wheezing than non-vapers, according to research published in the journal Thorax – and young people are particularly at risk. Last year, NHS figures show that there were 50 hospital admissions for children suffering from vaping related disorders. And total admissions for both children and adults for vaping-induced conditions has soared by 276% in since 2020.
It's not just respiratory conditions that are concerning experts. Dr Gareth Nye, the programme lead for medical science at Chester Medical School, also flags concerns future fertility issues for young vapers due to the high levels of nicotine that are sometimes found in vaping products.
‘This is a growing worry,’ he says. ‘Nicotine impacts the hormones controlling the reproductive system, which include follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and cortisol. Nicotine is also known to be a powerful vasoconstrictor that can impair sexual and erectile functions in men, and disrupt the blood flow to the uterus in females. In mice, nicotine reduces offspring numbers and induces abnormal and delayed implantation when exposed to vape products. We are potentially limiting fertility in a whole generation of young people. What’s even more worrying is sperm motility is reduced in males who vape - even with nicotine-free varieties.’
The there’s the impact on brain development. ‘We have very few studies on the impact of nicotine during the adolescence period but what we do know is that during this particular maturational period, the brain is remarkably vulnerable to the harmful effects of nicotine, which is especially critical given that adolescence is also the age of peak onset of nicotine use,’ he says.
What can parents do?
- Addiction counsellor Mandy Saligari advises any parents worried that their children might have started vaping to ask them straight out, then research the subject together. She recommends rebuffing the ‘it’s safe’ myth as soon as possible.
- Choose your time and place carefully, recommends parenting expert Liat Hughes Joshi, author of Help Your Child Cope with Change. Don’t accost your teen when they are stressed; instead, choose a time where you’re both feeling relaxed. Instead of telling them not to do it, she says, give them information about the real risks and the downsides of vaping, so that they can make their own decision.
- Talk through any barriers that might get in the way of quitting. Have they been using vaping to destress, and worry that they could become more anxious without it? Or perhaps they are concerned about losing friends. Once you understand this, you’ll be in a better position to help them and work on alternative strategies and ideas for these situations.
- Giving up vaping probably won’t be easy. So parents might want to come up with strategies to help: keep busy by doing puzzles or gaming; reminders about the reasons they want to quit; help them practise saying no to a vape; have snacks or gum to hand that teens can grab when they have the urge to vape.
- Visit talktofrank.com for more info.
