Over one in ten teens vape. The government needs to crack down and Christian parents need to be alert

There is currently a legal loophole that allows retailers to give free vape samples to children.

Whether deliberately or accidentally created, its existence is worrying.

The headline that ‘Government plans under-age crackdown’ is something that on a surface level many grown ups caring for children would welcome, but with only a ‘review’ into the rules around the sale of ‘nicotine-free’ products planned, does it, or any other part of this, give hope or reassurance that the government knows and understands the depth of the problem?

This isn’t a party-political statement. I hate it when politics are played around an issue, particularly when the health of children and teenagers are concerned. Whoever is in power, I imagine we’d be asking similar questions.

The research suggests that 7.7% of 11-17 years olds vaped in 2022 and that’s risen to 11.6% in 2023. Forty per cent of young people said they had tried just to give it a go.

Vaping is held up as a healthier alternative because it’s less harmful and not as addictive. Colourful flavours like bubblegum and cola show that the targeted age group perhaps aren’t so much middle aged as middle school.

Professor Chris Witty said vaping is a good alternative for adult smokers but has concerns that products are increasingly being aimed at children. And although it’s deemed less harmful than smoking, the longer-term health implications are not fully understood. In fact, research is beginning to demonstrate that vaping is increasingly becoming a gateway to smoking cigarettes. (For more on cigarettes go here )