Vaping Is Not Harmless for Children, Doctors Warn
Vaping is “not a harmless part of growing up”, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health warned, publishing a major review linking it to a range of harms in children. The review of 81 studies found associations with breathing problems, poorer sleep, anxiety and depression, and dental damage, and found young vapers were far more likely to go on to smoke. The college called for stronger action to curb youth vaping.
The review lands as ministers prepare to enforce the ban on disposable vapes and further restrictions on flavours and marketing, and it hands them fresh evidence that vaping’s risks to the young are more than theoretical. The paediatricians are careful not to deny that vaping helps adult smokers quit, but they argue the balance is different for children, for whom nicotine addiction and its knock-on harms carry no offsetting benefit. The findings will intensify pressure on retailers and manufacturers accused of targeting teenagers with bright packaging and sweet flavours. For parents, the message is blunt: children should not vape at all. Watch how the government tightens the rules and whether youth-vaping rates finally fall.