Disposable vapes are becoming more dangerous
By Emily Kinnaird and Holly Boland
Disposable vapes are are extremely attractive to children due to their colours and flavours (Image: Getty Images)
The rise of vaping amongst children is a growing concern in the UK. Although the government is putting plans in place to ban vapes throughout the nation, the question remains: Are they doing enough?
Children, like 14-year-old Chloe, have suffered the backlash of vapes being so attractive. Chloe said she and a "boy" messaged each other on Snapchat for several weeks before he promised to buy her some e-cigarettes if they met in person.
When they met in person, she discovered that he was not the boy she thought but a man in his late 20s and this was the start of a sexually abusive relationship that went on for weeks. Vapes are being marketed as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes with multiple flavours and colours that lure children, like Chloe, into dangerous situations.
College students in Glasgow seem to come under this bracket of attraction. Eighteen-year-old Hollie Doncaster from east Ayrshire has been smoking from the age of 15. She believes that vaping is the safer option and the flavours on offer are nice.
Many students said they do it to ‘’look cool’’ and started because of their friends. Hollie said: ‘’The cotton candy flavours are directed to children, I get advertisements on social media.”
Increasing the price of vapes isn't going to stop Hollie vaping, however she agrees the government should make them less appealing.
Vaping is becoming increasingly more popular (Image: Getty Images)
The government announced that new powers will be introduced to restrict vape flavours and packaging. These will allow the government to change how vapes are displayed in shops.
In a statement made by the Government it said: ‘’It is already illegal to sell any vapes to anyone under 18, but disposable vapes - often sold in smaller, more colorful packaging than refillable ones - are a key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping.”
Vaping has not been around long enough for scientists to completely understand all the risks that it can have on your body, especially for young children. The health risks add to the concerns in vaping worldwide.
These overall factors are consequences of why vaping is so attractive and popular. Trading Standards said most of the illegal vapes it seizes are designed to appeal to young children, with bright colored containers shaped like strawberry milkshakes, packets of sweets or cans of pop.
The BBC interviewed Kate Pike, lead officer for vaping investigations. She said some vape products were "unnecessarily attractive" to children.
"If children want them, they will be encouraged into unsafe activity in order to get them."
Many are supporting the cause of vapes being banned as they realise how attractive they are to children in the UK. Part of the supporters are Girls Out Loud, which is a UK charity supporting vulnerable teenage girls. They said it had seen a rise in the number of children being groomed or coerced into criminal activity through the use of vapes.
Vaping is now causing all sorts of criminal activities like the abuse to Chloe, and it can happen very quickly. But concern is growing that the government is not moving fast enough.