Children addicted to vaping should be spared punishment and given nicotine patches or gum to help them kick the habit, an official report said.
Health experts want vaping to be seen as a ‘dependency problem’ rather than a ‘deliberate act of misconduct’, with young people given support to quit.
A review from Public Health Wales (PHW) found that ‘vape dealers’ are common in social groups, with children feeling pressure to ‘fit in and look cool’.
Users reported experiencing ‘cravings’ and ‘shaking’, while teachers warned that some students are struggling to get through a single lesson without losing focus and needing a nicotine kick.
PHW convened an Incident Response Group (IRG) of teachers and health professionals in July 2023 to investigate the rise of vaping among children and youth.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Your browser does not support iframes.
The report, published today, makes a series of recommendations to help students kick their addiction, including calling on people with dependency problems to access nicotine replacement therapies such as chewing gum, skin patches or inhalers.
Other recommendations include restrictions on the visibility, appeal and availability of vapes for young people, such as a ban on colorful packaging.
The report says: ‘The most frequently expressed concerns from professionals working with children and young people and from group members were the increasing prevalence of nicotine addiction and the impact this was having on health, wellbeing and learning.
‘Reports from staff of students finding it difficult to complete a school day, or even a period of class time between breaks, without vaping, were consistently related to the Group by those members who worked within or represented an educational setting. ‘
It adds: ‘(Students) sometimes lost focus and found it difficult to complete other activities, potentially affecting their schoolwork and classroom attendance.
‘Vaping was discussed as something that ‘calms you down’, ‘helps with stress’, ‘regulates bad moods’, relieves ‘boredom’ and ‘gives you something to do’.
Figures show that the number of students who vape at least weekly in their final year of secondary school has more than doubled in Wales, from 6.6 percent in 2017 to 13.6 percent in 2021.
Chris Emmerson, a public health consultant for PHW, said there is a “clear consensus” that the increase in vaping among young people “must be addressed with urgency” if it is to be tackled quickly and effectively.
He said: “These best practices provide a comprehensive framework for supporting young vapers in Wales.
“By implementing these practices, we can better meet the complex needs of children and youth struggling with vaping dependency.
‘Nicotine replacement therapies, which are already offered to people over the age of 12 who smoke, are a tool that can help children and young people break their dependency on vaping, in combination with other support mechanisms.’
According to the IRGC report, access to vapes was “relatively easy” for children, who often come from older siblings and relatives, shops and online stores.
It said: ‘Vaping was most often observed in visible (although sometimes remote) social settings.
‘This environment seemed to contribute to feelings of peer pressure.
Tests on e-cigarettes seized from young people showed that they contained dangerous levels of lead, nickel and chromium. Some were almost ten times above safe limits. Exposure to lead can hinder brain development, while the other two metals can cause blood clotting
NHS Digital data, based on the Smoking, Drinking and Drugs Among Young People in England Survey for the year 2021, showed that 30 per cent of children in Yorkshire and the Humber have used a vape
“Participants described a strong desire to fit in and look cool and found it difficult to refuse offers to share devices.”
The IRGC’s recommendations are:
- Vapes should be ‘denormalized’ and should not be used in areas intended for children
- The advertising and display of vapes should be restricted, using only plain, unbranded packaging
- Disposable vapors should be banned
- Flavor names should be limited
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: ‘We are very concerned about the increase in vaping among young people and welcome the IRGC’s research into vaping among children and young people in Wales. We will consider the recommendations carefully.
‘We are working with the other UK governments to tackle youth vaping by reducing the appeal and availability of vapes to children through the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.’
The UK government has already announced plans to ban single-use vapes in England by April 2025, while a new tax on vaping will be introduced in October 2026.