Niamh Shackleton
Young people vaping is a concern across the globe.
In the UK, a 2022 report found that 7 percent of 11 to 17 year olds were frequent vape-users despite the legal age of using one being 18. This figure had more than doubled compared to 2021.
And it's since increased further, with 7.2 percent of this age bracket saying that they currently vaped in 2024, Action on Smoking and Health said.
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Meanwhile in the US, 2024 findings from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that 1.6 million middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette usage.
This was down from 2.13 million young people the year prior, however.
Numbers might be decreasing in the US, but it doesn't seem to be an issue that's going away anytime soon in Britain — so much so that a clinic specially for children with an addiction to vaping has been opened at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.
The newly-opened part of the hospital is aimed at 11-15 year olds and saw its first patients in January 2025.
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As per a news release issued in recent days, the clinic 'offers a holistic approach, working closely with each child or young person to explore their level of nicotine dependency and give them treatment options to help them reduce the amount they vape, including nicotine replacement therapy where needed, alongside support around peer pressure and behaviour change'.
Following its opening, Professor Rachel Isba, who runs the service, has revealed the extent of how bad vaping rates are for young people in Britain and how kids are becoming nicotine dependent.
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She told The Mirror: "I'll ask them 'when you wake up in the morning, how long is it before you first use your vape'... and some children are vaping before they get out of bed, which they perhaps wouldn't do if it's a cigarette.
"It's on their bedside table with them next to their mobile phone," Isba added.
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Elsewhere the healthcare expert said that kids are seemingly aware of how vaping is bad for them and thus want to quit the unhealthy habit.
"With the rise in the number of children and young people vaping and the significant uncertainty regarding the long-term impacts and potential harms in this age group, our clinic aims to provide crucial support for individuals affected by vaping," she shared.
Isba also said that the hospital is hoping to extend the services available in regards to vaping in the future.