A large number of children experiment with vapes – but very few go on to use them regularly, according to new research.
A survey of 4,000 pupils aged 12 to 15 found that around a third had tried vaping at least once. However, health officials say only a small fraction continued.
“Ninety-two per cent of those children who tried didn’t continue,” said Dave Schwartz, a public health specialist focused on children and young people. “We probably look around town and think everyone is vaping, but our figures give a truer representation.”
The results come amid growing concern over youth vaping and the health risks associated with it.
Youth concerns driving tighter regulation
Regulated vapes are widely accepted as a far less dangerous alternative for adults trying to quit smoking – they are estimated by the NHS to be 95 per cent less harmful than tobacco. But concerns over youth uptake of vaping has influenced a drive for tighter laws on their use.
The survey, carried out in Plymouth, UK, collected responses from three-quarters of pupils in year eight and year ten across all secondary schools in the city.
Local authorities say they are working on a dual strategy towards vaping: discouraging vaping among children while continuing to support adult smokers looking to quit.
The UK government introduced a ban on single-use vapes on June 1 and plans further restrictions on the sale and marketing of vapes and related products with the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
These include curbs on flavours, packaging, and in-store displays that appeal to children. Ministers have also signalled their intent to expand smoke-free zones to areas such as school grounds, hospital sites and children’s play parks.
Meanwhile, broader anti-smoking legislation is on the horizon. From 2027, cigarettes will be banned for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, a move designed to phase out smoking altogether for the next generation.
Gateway theory challenged
The survey comes as a new U.S study published last week challenged the “gateway theory” that vaping leads to smoking among teens. The large national study of American teens found smoking was more likely to lead to vaping than the other way around.
The research, published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, used data from around 7,700 US high school students and compared vape and cigarette use with a broad range of other behavioural and mental health risks.
While vaping and smoking were correlated, researchers found that each was more strongly associated with different behaviours – vaping with alcohol and cannabis use, and smoking with other tobacco products and illicit drugs.
This suggests that both behaviours may stem from shared risk factors, not from one directly causing the other.Meanwhile, separate data shows the number of teenagers using vapes in the U.S is at its lowest level in a decade. Half a million fewer school-aged children vaped last year than the previous year, according to the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
