Festive vape flavours 'pumped out' to children as number hospitalised on track for record high & parents issued warning
12/20/2024 10:22 AM
HEALTH experts have issued a stark warning to parents after concerns that new festive vape flavours were targeting children.
It comes after the number of youngsters hospitalised due to vaping is on track for a record high, according to NHS figures.
Angry health service bosses hit out at e-cig firms pushing Christmas-themed flavours like mince pie and candy cane that appeal to youngsters.
In the first seven months of 2024/25 there were 31 admissions for vape related disorders among people aged under 20.
NHS medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, warned: "More than 30 children and young people being admitted to hospital over seven months is simply alarming.
"Now vape companies are pumping out Christmas deals and festive flavours, like Christmas pudding, candy cane, mince pies or gingerbread.
"They are likely to be appealing to younger age groups and it is possible to purchase them with little to no checks.
"Vapes can be a useful tool to help adults quit smoking but they should not be used by children and under 18s.
"There's nothing joyful about the serious effect they can have on young people's health as well as the potential long-term consequences.
"We urge online retailers to ensure they have proper checks in places, including age verification, to avoid young people purchasing festive flavoured vapes over the festive period."
Gimmicky flavours will be banned by law next year.
New laws will prohibit their sale from June 1, 2025 to protect kids' health.
The crackdown will also halt the scourge of plastic littering after five million vapes a week were thrown away last year — quadruple the number from 2022.
The Government expects devolved nations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to implement the same cut-off date.
But refillable vapes will remain available as doctors use them to help people quit smoking.
The move follows mounting fears that more kids are illegally buying disposables, many of which now come in bright packaging with flavours including bubblegum, candy floss and cola.
Between April and October this year, 31 under-18s were admitted to hospital in England with vaping-related illnesses.
E-cigarettes can cause lung damage or pneumonia in heavy users, while too much nicotine may lead to dizziness and vomiting.
The figures put the NHS on track to treat at least 53 by March – more than 2023's high of 51 young patients in one financial year.
Surveys suggest about seven per cent of under-18s – almost a million – are regular vapers.
Official figures show that 280 patients of all ages have needed hospital stays so far this year because of vapes, compared to 317 in 2023.
The highest recorded was 431 in 2022.
Rates of serious illness among youngsters are low but rising, from just 11 in 2020 to 51 last year.
New laws to control underage vaping will next year involve tougher penalties for shops selling to youths, and tighter restrictions on advertising, packaging and flavours.
