Young vapers at risk of breathing problems

Young Vapers Face Growing Health Concerns

A major review of evidence on vaping among children and young people has raised concerns about respiratory health, nicotine dependence and progression to cigarette smoking. As reported by The Guardian, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) review found consistent links between vaping and coughing, wheezing, bronchitis symptoms and asthma exacerbations.

The review also identified associations extending beyond respiratory health, including oral and dental problems and negative mental health outcomes. While researchers stress that vaping is relatively new and its long-term effects on young people are not yet fully understood, doctors say the evidence available already presents a concerning picture.

Youth vaping and respiratory health

According to the review, vaping among children and young people is consistently associated with poor respiratory health. Reported problems include coughing and wheezing, bronchitis symptoms and exacerbations of asthma.

Professor Will Carroll, co-author of the review, argued that vaping should not be considered a harmless part of growing up. He said the available evidence demonstrated links with respiratory symptoms, nicotine dependence and subsequent cigarette smoking, while concerns about broader effects on young people’s health were continuing to develop.

The scale of youth vaping makes those findings particularly significant. Experimentation and regular vaping among young people have risen approximately tenfold during the past decade, with use frequently beginning during adolescence. An estimated one in five 11- to 17-year-olds in Britain has tried vaping.

Vaping and the risk of cigarette smoking

One of the review’s central findings concerns the relationship between youth vaping and subsequent cigarette smoking. The RCPCH review found evidence that vapes can act as a gateway to smoking cigarettes, alongside evidence of nicotine dependence.

That raises an important question: when a young person experiments with vaping, are they fully aware of the possibility that nicotine use may develop into dependence or lead towards cigarette smoking?

The findings are particularly relevant because vaping and smoking are not interchangeable issues. Andrew McCracken, director of external affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said vapes could play an important role for existing smokers seeking to quit, while stressing that people who do not smoke should not vape, particularly children.

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, similarly argued that measures intended to reduce the promotion of vapes to children should not make vapes difficult to access for adult smokers using them to quit.

Evidence goes beyond breathing problems

The scale of the RCPCH evidence review was substantial. Researchers considered 14,000 published articles and included 81 studies in their review. Alongside respiratory effects and subsequent smoking, the evidence identified associations between vaping and poor oral and dental health, including inflammation, ulcers and dry mouth.

The review also identified evidence linking vaping with negative mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. These findings describe associations identified by the research rather than establishing that vaping necessarily caused every reported outcome.

Emerging evidence also indicated potential effects on sleep, eye health, and allergies. Researchers also identified adverse outcomes associated with babies and infants exposed to nicotine during pregnancy.

These findings underline an important limitation of the evidence base. As RCPCH vice-president for policy Dr Mike McKean explained, vaping is a relatively new product, meaning researchers do not yet know its full long-term impact on children and young people. Continued research and monitoring are therefore considered essential.

Calls for stronger protection for young people

Professor Carroll called for rapid implementation of measures announced under the Tobacco and Vapes Act. According to the article, these include plain packaging, moving vaping products out of sight in shops and restricting flavour names inspired by sweets, desserts and alcohol in favour of simpler descriptions such as “apple”. He also called for the number of available flavours to be limited.

McKean described the legislation as an important step towards protecting children from nicotine addiction but argued that regulation cannot be treated as a single, final intervention. He said authorities would need to keep pace with a rapidly changing market and continue responding to nicotine products designed and marketed to appeal to children.

McCracken also called for more research and a faster policy response, criticising the marketing of products designed to look and taste like sweets. Cheeseman highlighted strong controls over marketing and promotion as important to reducing youth vaping while preserving access for adult smokers seeking to quit.

The Department of Health and Social Care said children should never vape. It highlighted the ban on single-use vapes, legislation to prohibit advertising and sponsorship from the following year, and consultation on packaging designed to appeal to children.

Comment by Allen Carr’s Easyway

Unfortunately and sadly, the findings reported here are exactly what Allen Carr has been saying for the last 15 years.

It reinforces the importance of taking nicotine dependence seriously, particularly when exposure begins during adolescence.

The review is also a reminder that discussions about vaping cannot focus just on its potential role for existing smokers seeking to quit, but also on children and people who do not smoke and that they should not vape.

At Allen Carr’s Easyway, we believe it is vital to look beyond the product itself and understand nicotine dependence. With an estimated one in five British 11- to 17-year-olds having tried vaping and evidence linking youth vaping with subsequent cigarette smoking, young people need clear information that allows them to understand what nicotine use may involve.

The unanswered questions matter too. Researchers acknowledge that the long-term consequences of vaping among children and adults remain uncertain. That uncertainty is not a reason to ignore the evidence already emerging around respiratory symptoms, dependence and later smoking; it strengthens the case for continued research, informed discussion and appropriate protection for young people.