Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed plans to ban disposable vapes on Monday in a bid to tackle the rising number of young people using them.
Announcing the move, Sunak said: ‘As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic.’
He added: ‘As prime minister, I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term. That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes – which have driven the rise in youth vaping – and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops.’
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Figures from the Action on Smoking and Health charity suggest that 7.6% of 11 to 17-year-olds now vape regularly or occasionally, up from 4.1% in 2020.
‘Children shouldn't be vaping, we don't want them to get addicted, we still don't understand the full long-term health impacts,’ Sunak said.
It is already illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18, but disposable vapes, which are often sold in smaller, more colourful and child-friendly packaging, are a ‘key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping’, according to the government.
Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
