Young people in the United Kingdom say they haven't seen much of a change in their peers' vaping habits despite a ban on disposable e-cigarettes going into effect in June. The ban reportedly aimed to improve health and address environmental concerns tied to vape waste.
In mid-November, the BBC explored the progress the country has made toward its goal of reducing youth vaping. Since 2024, the use of e-cigarettes daily or occasionally among 16-24 year olds has gone down modestly.
Chloe Jennison, who is 20 and vapes, told the news outlet that young people still seem to be getting their hands on the devices, even with the ban in effect.
"I even sit in bed vaping," said Jennison, who took up the habit to try to quit regular cigarettes. "I think they need to put warning signs like what they do on cigarette packets with the lungs. You don't really know what vaping is doing to your insides."
She thinks reducing the colors and flavors of the products and their accessibility could make a difference. That's part of what the Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to do by restricting packaging, flavors, and the display of vapes and nicotine products. The BBC reported that the bill is "progressing through Parliament."
According to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the nicotine found in e-cigarettes can disrupt brain development in young people. These devices also contain thousands of other dangerous chemicals, including carcinogens like acetaldehyde and formaldehyde.
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Vape materials can present environmental dangers too, especially single-use devices, which are meant to be thrown away and end up flooding landfills and dotting sidewalks as litter.
The BBC, referencing data from the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, reported that almost five million single-use vapes were thrown away each week in 2023. And this stuff isn't just ugly to look at — discarded e-cigarettes can also leach toxic chemicals into soil systems and waterways. Meanwhile, lithium batteries from these devices are highly flammable and can create a fire hazard in landfills.
Still, there are signs of hope when it comes to e-cigarette waste in the UK. Though a waste management firm told the BBC that they had seen a 3% rise in discarded vapes incorrectly mixed in with general recyclables since the ban, a local litter cleaner in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, said that her group had seen a significant reduction in the number of discarded vapes on the ground in the last two years.
Youth vaping is an issue around the globe, and countless medical groups and nonprofits are trying to get the word out about the dangers of this addiction. For instance, MD Anderson Cancer Center has a page with information for parents to help them talk about vaping with their kids.
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"As their parent, you are your child's primary teacher," the site says. "Start a conversation to find out what your child knows about vaping."
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