Teenage vaping - a habit out of control?
Rachel Burden investigates the impact of the illegal sale of vapes to under 18s. Trading standards say the market is being flooded by devices that don't complh with regulations.
They're brightly coloured, easy-to-use and come in a range of different flavours from cotton candy to blue raspberry. Disposable vapes are surging in popularity, especially with young people. The chances are you know someone who vapes, maybe you use one yourself, or perhaps even your children do. Research commissioned by the public health charity, ASH, suggests 7% of kids aged 11-17 vape, and 16% have tried it at least once. Both of those figures are up on previous years. So how is that possible, when under 18s aren鈥檛 even supposed to be able to buy vapes legally? Trading Standards officers in England and Wales are worried the market is being flooded with illicit vaping products and getting into the hands of children. They say that the number of complaints they鈥檝e received about illegal vape sales each month has risen significantly between May 2021 and April 2022.
For our 5 Minutes On podcast, 麻豆社 5 Live Breakfast presenter Rachel Burden has beeb investigating what impact this is having on young people. Image Credit: EPA
