The health risks associated with cigarette use have been drilled into the minds of young adults and adults across the globe, but e-cigarettes are a different story.
Many assume that since no smoke is inhaled in the vaping process, the mode of nicotine intake is healthier than traditional smoking.
This untrue notion has pushed e-cigarettes into the hands and mouths of the youth.
To combat vape use among children in the UK, where 7% between the ages of 11 and 17 vaped in 2022, according to Stat10, officials are cracking down on illegal e-cigarette sales.
According to Asian Trader, London Trading Standards has launched an online tool for the youth to report underage vape sales. The tool is called Say Something, Save Someone, and it allows young people to anonymously make reports.
Reports of underage vape use and sales are transferred to enforcement teams to protect the lungs of our youngest generation: Generation Alpha.
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The preceding generation, Generation Z, was once thought to be the generation that would virtually "end" smoking, according to a study posted in the National Library of Medicine Journal.
The technological evolution of nicotine devices has shifted this perspective.
Generation Z has the lowest rates of cigarette use, but high rates of vape use — approximately 11% of young adults in this generation vape, per the Daily Nebraskan.
Subsequently, Generation Alpha is already facing a similar fate, though its oldest members are only 15 years old. According to the FDA, 5.9% of middle and high school students have reported e-cigarette use.
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Yes 👍 As the youngest generation breathes in dirty, polluted air both indoors and outdoors, those who vape only exacerbate the issue by breathing in cancer-causing chemicals via e-cigarettes.
According to the CDC, e-cigarette aerosol is full of toxins that are unsafe for the respiratory system.
Additionally, e-cigarettes indirectly impact the youth through their impact on the planet, as disposable vapes are nothing short of little boxes of toxic waste.
They are primarily made of plastic and use lithium-ion batteries, according to Ecigarette Direct. There is no true method for the disposal of these products, so vapes end up in landfills, where they can start fires.
For the protection of the future of London's youth, Say Something, Save Someone was called "a great innovation" by London Tobacco Alliance program director Tracy Parr, per Asian Trader.
"Our investment in apprenticeships demonstrates London's commitment to building resilience within our profession and securing the future of Trading Standards in London," Parr said.
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