Nearly one in ten people aged between 11-15 smoke e-cigarettes, new figures have revealed.
The latest study from NHS Digital found that 9 per cent of those in the age group have used a vape – a rise of 3 per cent since 2018.
The use of e-cigarettes was highest among 15-year-old girls, with 21 per cent admitting to using a vape. One in four (42 per cent) said they had tried an e-cigarette before.
Almost a fifth (18 per cent) of 13-year-olds have tried using an e-cigarette, the study found, though just 2 per cent were regular users and 4 per cent were occasional users.
And over half (57 per cent) of those surveyed said they had bought a vape from a shop, an increase from 29 per cent in 2018. This is despite laws forbidding the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone aged under 18.
In July, Conservative MP and qualified GP Dr Caroline Johnson told MPs that an increasing number of young people had been drawn to vaping by the “bright colours” and “popular flavours” of the vapes sold in newsagents or corner shops.
Data released in July by the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) charity found that the most popular e-cigarette brands were the Elf Bar and Geek Bar, with only 32 per cent of young vapers saying they use a different brand.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said that the “glamorous promotion of vaping” on social media sites, such as TikTok, was behind its rise in popularity among young teenagers.
Research shows that vaping is less harmful than smoking, as e-cigarettes do not contain many of the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes. However, scientists have cautioned that the long-term health impact of vaping is not yet known.
Meanwhile, the NHS report found that the proportion of teenage smokers has declined from 5 per cent in 2018 to just 3 per cent in 2021.
Around 18 per cent of pupils said they had used drugs – a fall from 24 per cent in 2018.
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And 40 per cent of 11-15 year-olds said they had tried alcohol, compared to 44 per cent in 2018. The data shows a steady decline in the number of young teenagers trying alcohol since 2003, when the figure stood at 61 per cent.
The 2021 survey was conducted by pollster Ipsos Mori, and questioned 9,289 year 7 to 11 pupils between September 2021 and February 2022.
