Vaping: Wales urges UK government to ban disposable vapes

Senior members of the Welsh government are calling for a UK-wide ban on disposable vapes.

These single-use e-cigarettes can be bought cheaply and are thrown away once they run out.

Lots of people are concerned about the number of children in the UK using these kinds of vapes.

They're also known as e-cigarettes and are already illegal for people under the age of 18.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously said he was "deeply concerned" about the increase of children vaping and that the government are taking steps to tackle the issue.

However the Welsh government wants a complete ban, something the leader of the Scottish government is also considering.

Children's doctors are also calling for a complete ban on disposable vapes because they say they could damage young people's lungs.

"Welsh ministers will be meeting UK government on this issue later this week," a spokesperson for the Welsh government said.

The UK Vaping Industry Association's director general, John Dunne, said a ban was "not the answer", and that more should be done to crack down on shops selling vapes to under-18s.

The most recent figures from the NHS show that 9% of secondary school pupils aged 11-15 use a vape regularly or occasionally - up from 6% in 2018.

Another study from the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that the number of children who have experimented with vaping has increased from 7.7% last year to 11.6% in 2023.

And a recent Public Health Wales report said 9-10% of year seven and year 10 pupils vaped daily.

What is vaping and why are people concerned about it?

Vapes are small devices which hold a liquid containing nicotine - a substance which is also found in cigarettes - as well as other harmful chemicals. Vapes work by heating the liquid which creates a vapour, which is inhaled by the person using it.

Some adults use vapes to help them stop smoking cigarettes.

The appeal of the colourful packaging and range of flavours for vape products has been highlighted as a factor why the number of children vaping has risen, along with how easy they are to get hold of.

Newsround spoke to students at a school in Cambridgeshire in England to find out why they think children want to try vaping.

One student told us it's because "their friends are doing it", while another said "because they're curious, they want to see what it taste like and what it's like to buy one".

The year 7 and 8 pupils also looked at the packaging of vapes and many of them thought it was colourful and had flavours which were appealing to children.

"A lot of them have fruit on them, which makes people think oh it's fruit, it's not that bad, but they might not know the real side-effects it can have on you," said one pupil.

These flavours and colourful packaging are seen as a big problem and a reason the number of children are trying vapes.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "It looks like they are targeted at kids, which is ridiculous - I don't want my kids seduced by any of these things."

Vaping and health

A big concern about young people using vapes illegally is that we don't know what the long-term effects are because there isn't enough research yet.

Newsround spoke to Dr Ian Sinha, a respiratory doctor at Alder Hey Children's hospital, who told us vaping could potentially be damaging to children's lungs because they are still developing.

He added: "We worry about children getting addicted to nicotine, which is the chemical in vapes, in case that leads them on to other things like cigarettes."

What's being done to tackle the issue?

In England, there has been an official investigation to find out how the marketing and appearance of vapes may attract children.

The prime minister says the targeting of children and teenagers is "unacceptable".

Mr Sunak said he would close a loophole which lets free vape samples be handed out to children in England.

He said he would also increase fines for shops selling vapes illegally and provide online resources for schools to teach young people about the dangers of vaping.

In Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf said they are considering a ban of disposable vapes.

But many think more needs to be done.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) now says the UK government should completely ban disposable e-cigarettes.

The charity ASH recommends that vapes should be taxed so they are more expensive and difficult for children to buy. They also think there should be stricter rules on how vapes are advertised and promoted in shops.

The Children's Commissioner for England has said disposable vapes must be banned to protect children and has welcomed a review by the Government about it.

Dame Rachel De Souza said: "I was shocked and concerned to hear from children as young as 12 who told me that vaping was normalised among their peers - even on school premises.

"It is deeply worrying to hear accounts from children who now struggle to concentrate for whole lessons, unable to use their vape.

"Other children are avoiding using school toilets, for fear of peer pressure to join in.

"Children deserve to lead long, happy, healthy lives, which is why I am unequivocal in my view that no child should be smoking or vaping."

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesman said: "It is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to children and we are concerned about the recent rises in youth vaping - particularly because of the unknown long-term harms.

"We are taking bold action to crack down on youth vaping.

"We have also launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products and explore where the Government can go further."