Vaping & Children
Youth vaping has risen sharply. What the health risks are, what the law now says (including the June 2025 disposable-vape ban), and how to talk to your child about it.
What is this?
Vaping among children has grown quickly, driven by cheap disposable devices, sweet flavours, and colourful marketing. Most vapes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can affect the developing adolescent brain. Vaping is far less studied than smoking, but it is not risk-free, and it is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to under-18s.
How it works
Disposable vapes made experimentation cheap and easy, and bright packaging and flavours such as bubblegum and cotton candy appeal to children. From 1 June 2025 the sale of single-use (disposable) vapes was banned across the UK, but reusable and illicit devices remain widely available, including through social media. Nicotine creates dependence quickly, and the liquid itself is poisonous if swallowed by a young child.
Warning signs
In your child's behaviour
- • A sweet or fruity smell on clothes or in their room, or unexplained new devices or 'USB sticks'
- • Increased thirst, mouth or throat irritation, coughing, or irritability (a possible sign of nicotine dependence)
- • Spending money you cannot account for, or asking for cash more often
On their device
- • Following vape brands or reviewers, or being served vape content on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube
- • Messages about buying or swapping vapes, or joining local buy/sell groups
Prevention steps
Get the facts and talk early
Use NHS and ASH resources so you can talk accurately rather than from myth. Ask what your child has seen or been offered, keep it a conversation rather than a lecture, and make clear they can be honest with you.
Address the marketing, not just the product
Help your child see how flavours, influencers, and packaging are designed to appeal to them. Media-literacy framing — spotting the sell — often lands better with teenagers than a health warning alone.
Store and dispose of vapes safely
Nicotine e-liquid is poisonous if swallowed. Keep any adult vapes and refills out of reach of younger children, and treat this the same way as other household poisons.
What to do if it happens
- 1If your child is already vaping, stay calm — nicotine addiction is hard to break, and shame makes it harder. Focus on support to cut down or stop.
- 2Speak to your GP, school nurse, or local stop-smoking service; some NHS services now support young people specifically. NHS 'young people and vaping' resources are a good starting point.
- 3If a young child has swallowed e-liquid, treat it as poisoning: call NHS 111, or 999 if they are unwell or unresponsive.
Related topics
If you need to report this
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
Myths & facts
Myth: Vapes are sold in shops, so they can't be that bad.
Fact: They are legal for adults, but it is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to under-18s for good reason: nicotine is highly addictive and can affect the developing brain. Illicit devices sold via social media may also contain unknown substances.
Myth: My child has never smoked, so vaping won't be on their radar.
Fact: Most young people who vape have never smoked — flavours, packaging, and social media marketing are aimed squarely at them. Vaping is now usually a first introduction to nicotine, not a way off cigarettes.
Myth: If I find a vape, confiscating it will sort the problem out.
Fact: If your child is already dependent on nicotine, taking the device away doesn't remove the craving — it usually just drives the vaping underground. Support to cut down or stop works better than punishment.
Age by age
- 8-10
The main risks now are poisoning and normalisation: keep any adult vapes and e-liquids locked away like other household poisons, and plant simple, accurate facts before secondary school gets there first.
- 11-13
Talk before they are first offered one — ask what they've seen at school and rehearse easy ways to say no. Pick apart the marketing together: the flavours and packaging are designed for them, which lands better than a lecture.
- 14-16
If they are already vaping, focus on support rather than shame: nicotine dependence is genuinely hard to break. Watch for buying through social media or older friends, and involve the GP or school nurse for help quitting.
- 17-plus
At 18 they can buy vapes legally, so have the honest harm conversation: not risk-free, addictive, and pointless if you've never smoked. Make clear that buying vapes for younger friends or siblings is against the law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Resources
Sources
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