There’s a new report from Imperial College that confirms what every teenager knows: young people are increasingly exposed to vapes in shops. In theory, buying vapes should be like buying drink: if you look young, then you need ID. Simple, no?
But behind every contraband ban, there are teenagers finding a way around it. Dealing with small shops is one thing, but if you buy online, you can find independent sellers who specify on their sites that they do not require ID. Many offer discreet packaging — that is, no indication on the package of its contents. This way vapes can be delivered to your child under your nose. It’s only if the seller pays for the Royal Mail tracking service and age verifier that you’ll be asked for proof of age.
Many offer discreet packaging — that way vapes can be delivered to your child under your nose
Does it matter? The latest statistics (from ASH) show that fewer than 10 per cent of young people vape, but I’d say it’s much more than that in London. I know people with a vaper’s cough who are 15 or 16. According to the report, more than 100,000 teenagers in London used an e-cigarette in 2021.
In my experience, it’s the single-use vapes which are a particular problem. They’re terrifyingly child-friendly with sweet flavours and cartoon characters. And they’re cheap too — around a fiver for a 600-puff vape.
If the Government is serious about teenagers’ health there are a couple of things they could do.
First, treat vapes like any other problem item. If you are sending a knife by post you have to use an age verification service for the delivery. That could be the rule for vapes too.
Then, as the Imperial College researchers and campaign group ASH suggest, vapes could be made less attractive to children. That means no cartoon characters or fun packaging. There’s one called Tornado in rainbow colours that lights up at the end. That’s not aimed at adults.
Obviously, schools tell us not to vape. But it doesn’t work. Vaping is ubiquitous. We’ve just got to tackle it in ways that make sense for teenagers.
