Tax increases on vapes are ‘a priority’ amid fears that measures to prevent children becoming addicted could be ‘undermined’ by devices promoted on social media, campaigners say

Online promotion of vapes threatens to undermine measures such as increasing taxes on vape liquids, campaigners have warned.

Their warning comes after a new study found that young people who spend just one hour a day on social media sites such as Instagram and TikTok triple their chances of taking up vaping.

While ministers plan to increase taxes on vaping liquids by up to £3 from 2026 in a bid to keep them out of reach of ‘pocket money’ prices, children are still being promoted into vaping in cyberspace .

Hazel Cheeseman, deputy director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said their own research found that almost one in three teenagers (29 per cent) reported having promoted vapes online, with TikTok being the ‘biggest culprit’.

Ms Cheeseman said on Radio 4 this morning that promoting vaping on social media could impact welcome efforts to tackle vaping among young people.

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“I think these online spaces risk undermining the restrictions we’re introducing in the real world,” she said.

‘Young people use these disposable vapes not because they are disposable products, but because they are very attractive, really available in stores and quite cheap.

“So addressing the promotional elements and addressing the price of these products is absolutely the way to go.”

Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH, also told MailOnline that price increases for vapes are necessary and will prevent children from using them.

“Increasing the price of these products is a priority, but effective regulation must be comprehensive and well thought out, rather than knee-jerk reactions,” she said.

‘Children, who generally do not have a large disposable income, are price sensitive. If prices rise, they will buy less. It is crucial to make these products less attractive and less easily accessible.

‘These strategies must work hand in hand. The government must act on all fronts because all these aspects are interconnected and essential for effective change.”

Their comments came in response to new research from experts, including from Imperial College London, which found that children who spend a lot of time on Instagram and TikTok are more likely to vape and smoke cigarettes.

The likelihood of children adopting this habit seemed proportional to the amount of time they spent on social media.

This was especially evident at higher levels of use: People who spend more than seven hours a day on social media are almost four times more likely to vape than non-users, and eight times more likely to smoke.

The study, published in the journal Thorax, included data from 10,808 people aged 10 to 25 in Britain.

Analysis found that 0.8 percent of those who didn’t use social media vaped, rising to 2.4 percent among those who used it for one to three hours a day.

This rose to 3.8 percent for those who use social media four to six hours a day and 4 percent for those who use social media more than seven hours a day.

Meanwhile, 2 percent of those who said they did not use social media when it came to smoking reported current cigarette smoking, compared to 9.2 percent who used social media for one to three hours a day.

This rose to 12.2 percent of smokers who used social media for four to six hours a day and 15.7 percent for those who spent seven or more hours on it each weekday.

The researchers, including from Imperial College London School of Public Health, said there was “compelling evidence that vape companies are using social media to market their products.”

They added: ‘Social media can encourage cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use through both direct, targeted advertising and the tobacco industry’s use of paid influencers.’

The researchers say companies that own social media platforms have “substantial power” to change exposure to material that promotes smoking and vaping if they choose or are forced to do so.

It comes after research earlier this week revealed that children’s exposure to vape marketing is at an all-time high, with young people overwhelmingly opting for fruit and dessert flavored vapes.

Action on Smoking and Health’s (Ash) annual survey results show that children in Britain are increasingly aware of vape marketing, including in shops and through social media sites such as TikTok and YouTube.

The 2024 survey of 2,587 children aged 11 to 17 found that 7.6 percent currently vape, the same percentage as last year but up from 2.8 percent in 2017 and 0.8 percent in 2013.

E-cigarettes allow people to inhale nicotine in a vapor, which is produced by heating a liquid, which typically contains propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings and other chemicals.

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Unlike traditional cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco or produce tar or carbon – two of the most dangerous elements.

Although widely seen as safer than smoking, the long-term effects of vaping still remain a mystery.

Doctors have expressed fears that a wave of lung disease, dental problems and even cancer could occur in the coming decades in people who started the habit at a young age.

Last year, leading pediatricians also warned that children were being admitted to hospital with vaping-induced breathing difficulties amid a ‘worrying’ vaping epidemic among young people.

NHS figures show a rise in the number of children admitted to hospital due to vaping.

Forty children and young people were admitted to hospital in England last year for ‘vaping-related conditions’, which may include lung damage or worsening asthma symptoms, up from 11 two years earlier, the NHS said.

MailOnline has previously exposed the predatory tactics of some sweet shops selling capes, including products similar to popular sweet bran products such as Skittles and Jolly Ranchers.