What you think about vaping: ‘Do they realise how stupid and immature they look?’

A loophole that allows the vaping industry to give free samples of vapes to children in England is set to be closed under new plans announced by the Prime Minister to clamp down on youth vaping.

The government has also announced that there will be a review into banning the vaping industry from selling 'nicotine-free' vapes to those under 18.

In the recent Action on Smoking and Health Smokefree GB Youth Survey 2023 of 11 to 17 year olds, two out of five young people said they smoke vapes ‘just to give it a try’ and about one in five because ‘other people use them so I join in’.

But what do you think about vaping? We hit the streets of Liverpool to find out.

• Catherine says: “Do they realise how stupid and immature they look?”
• Kayleigh says: “It might taste nice, it might look a bit cool to your mates but it’s not.”
• Mandy says her mum used vapes to quit smoking ‘but she has stopped completely now’.
• Kayleigh added: “As an alternative to smoking cigarettes, I guess it’s an improvement.”

Quitting smoking: While the rise in illegal youth vaping is a cause for concern, many addicted smokers have found using e-cigarettes helpful as a quitting tool. The Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, has said that marketing vapes to children is unacceptable - they should only have a role in helping smokers quit.

Illegal: Vapes tested in a laboratory have been found to contain high levels of lead, nickel and chromium. After analysing 18 vapes, the Inter Scientific laboratory in Liverpool, which works with vape manufacturers to ensure regulatory standards are met, found that most were illegal and had not been tested.

• Watch the video at the top of this page for more views from the Liverpool public.