Prevalence of vaping and Smoking
In March/April 2023 the proportion of children experimenting with vaping had grown by 50% year on year, from one in thirteen to one in nine. Children’s awareness of promotion of vapes has also grown, particularly in shops where more than half of all children report seeing e-cigarettes being promoted, and online where nearly a third report e-cigarette promotion. Only one in five children now say they never see vapes promoted, down from 31% last year. It is an offence to sell e-cigarettes to children under 18 in the United Kingdom and children means those aged 11-17 years old, unless otherwise specified.
It is estimated that each year around 207,000 children in the UK start smoking.1 Among adult smokers, about two-thirds report that they took up smoking before the age of 18 and over 80% before the age of 20.2 The 2011 General Lifestyle Survey of adult smokers revealed that almost two-fifths (40%) had started smoking regularly before the age of 16.3
The proportion of children who have ever smoked continues to decline. In 2018, 16% of 11-15 year olds (23% in 2012) had smoked at least once; the lowest proportion since the survey began in 1982, when 53% had tried smoking.4 In the past decade, the proportion of children who have ever smoked has halved from 32% in 2008 to 16% in 2018.4
Use and awareness of e-cigarettes
- In 2023 20.5% of children had tried vaping, up from 15.8% in 2022 and 13.9% in 2020 before the first COVID lockdown. The majority had only vaped once or twice (11.6%), while 7.6% were currently vaping (3.9% less than once a week, 3.6% more than once a week) and the remainder (1.3% in 2023) saying they no longer vape.
- The 50% growth in experimentation (trying once or twice) from 7.7% in 2022 to 11.6% in 2023 was significant, while the change in current vaping (from 6.9% to 7.6%) was not. [See Appendix 1 for explanation of significance].
- Since 2021 the proportion of current vaping has been greater than that of current smoking (7.6% compared to 3.6% in 2023).
- The proportion of never smokers who have tried vaping is 11.5%. However, eight out of ten children have never smoked, so this amounts to nearly half (48%) of children who have ever tried vaping. Most (62%)of those who have never smoked but have vaped have only tried once or twice, while most (70%) current vapers have also tried smoking.
- There is an age gradient both for ‘ever’ and ‘current’ vaping. Among 11-15 year olds 15% have ever tried vaping, compared to 34% of 16-17 year olds and 38% of 18 year olds. The figures for current use are 4.6% among those aged 11-15, 15% for 16-17 and 18% for 18-year-olds.
Promotion of vaping to children
- There has been a significant growth in awareness of e-cigarette promotion between 2022 and 2023 with more than half all children (53%) aware of promotion in shops, and nearly a third (32%) online. Only one in five (20%) say they never see e-cigarettes being promoted, down from 31% last year.
- Although selling vapes to children is illegal, giving them out for free is not, and it is of concern that 2.1% of children who have ever tried vaping, report that their first vape was given them by an e-cigarette company. There are wide confidence intervals so this could range between 9,000 and 38,000 children in Great Britain.
In conclusion, youth vaping is continuing to grow, as is children’s awareness of promotion. The big increase in the use of disposable products has happened concurrently with higher levels of youth use, although the survey is cross sectional and so does not prove this is causal in either direction.