UK: Health organisations highlight government inaction on child vaping

On June 28, 2023, the British organization Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)[1] appeared before the Health and Social Affairs Committee's current affairs session on vaping. ASH is urging the committee to hold the government to account for three years of ignoring the organisation's calls for stricter regulation of e-cigarettes.

ASH is particularly critical of the government's inaction in the face of numerous warnings over the past three years about the rise in teenage vaping and its calls for stricter regulation of e-cigarettes.

Commission wants to strengthen existing provisions on vaping

The committee members are to consider options that could restrict access to vaping products. These include banning or limiting products that are attractive, such as flavours or bright colours, and marketing practices that appeal to children and young people. Better enforcement of bans on sales to under-18s and price increases are also being considered.

Public health stakeholders including Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH, Dr Helen Stewart, Head of Child Protection at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Laranya Caslin, Principal of St George’s Academy, Sleaford were heard on 28 June. Alongside these public health stakeholders were representatives from the vaping industry: John Dunne, Chief Executive of the UK Vaping Industry Association and Marcus Saxton, Chair of the Independent British Vape Trade Association.[2].

A set of recommendations to protect the youngest

Health and Social Care Committee chairman Steve Brine said that while vaping has benefits for those wanting to quit smoking, the committee is particularly concerned about the vaping industry's business practices.

ASH is therefore urging the UK government to implement a comprehensive package of measures to reduce the easy accessibility, affordability, appeal and advertising of vaping products, particularly to children. The organisation stresses that stricter regulation of tobacco products is also essential to reduce vaping among young people. Indeed, a recent study of 35 European countries showed that the stricter the tobacco regulations, the lower the vaping rates among young people.[3]. ASH therefore also calls on the UK Government not to forget its ambition to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2030. This target is strongly supported by the public, parliamentarians and health professionals.

To do this, ASH presented to the Committee its three main recommendations to the government:

- Impose a £5 excise tax on disposable e-cigarettes, to make them less affordable for children;

- Ban brands that appeal to children: no more bright colours, attractive names and cartoon characters on packaging;

- Ban the promotion of vaping products in stores: keep e-cigarettes out of sight and out of reach of children.

A significant increase in vaping consumption among adolescentsts

According to a recent ASH survey[4], the rate of regular vapers among 11-17 year olds increased from 0.6% in 2014 to 3.1% in 2022 and 3.7% in 2023, while the sale of e-cigarettes to minors is illegal in the country. The percentage of 11-17 year olds who have tried an e-cigarette at least once in the past year increased from 5.6% in 2014 to 7.7% in 2022 and 11.6% in 2023. Experimental consumption has therefore increased by 50% in just one year.

This increase in initiation and consumption is mainly explained by the marketing and development of disposable puff-type e-cigarettes. Thus, 7 out of 10 young vapers say they consume these products. The main reason given by young people (40% of cases) to justify their consumption of e-cigarettes is "just to try". The other reason given is "to join other people who use them" in 19% of cases, and finally "I like the flavors" for 14%. The reason "I'm trying to quit smoking" comes last with 1.5% of responses.

Keywords: UK, vaping, young people, ASH, regulations, teenagers, marketing, flavours

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[1] Press release, ASH will today urge the Health & Social Care Committee to call Government to account for years of inaction on vaping, ASH, published June 28, 2023, accessed June 30, 2023

[2] British Parliament website, UK vaping industry called to account following rise in use among children, published June 23, 2023, accessed June 30, 2023

[3] Sonia Cerrai, Elisa Benedetti, Emanuela Colasante, Marco Scalese, Giuseppe Gorini, Silvano Gallus, Sabrina Molinaro, E-cigarette use and conventional cigarette smoking among European students: findings from the 2019 ESPAD survey, published June 29, 2023, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/add.15982#pane-pcw-references

[4] Generation without tobacco, United Kingdom: Between 2022 and 2023, increase in attempts at vaping by young people and massive switch to disposable e-cigarettes, published June 29, 2023, accessed June 30, 2023