A total of 50 children were admitted to hospitals in 2023 for underage vaping, with the U.K. seeing the rise of minors accessing e-cigarettes and leading to harm to their respiratory system.
This shocked parents and the health industry, who are now calling out the government to take action against the vaping problem present in the region, looking to increase the age of sale law enforcement.
Vaping is still considered a health risk for all ages, and children are more likely to succumb to respiratory problems along the way if exposed to or using this directly.
UK Underage Vaping: 50 Children Admitted to Hospitals
The Sun UK reported that there were as many as 50 children hospitalized in 2023 because of vaping and the use of e-cigarettes, highlighting the massive underage vaping problem in the UK.
Among these fifty children, eleven children were under the age of four, and it remains unknown how they got access to electronic smoking devices.
Admissions saw 14 percent of the cases were teenagers who were hospitalized due to vaping in 2023 alone, with 2020's numbers only amounting to six percent.
Since 2020, last year's numbers rose to 276 percent of both the adults and youth who were hospitalized due to vaping. Professor of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine Jonathan Grigg explained this was partly due to kid-friendly vape flavors.
Vaping Woes: Calling Out Government for Action
With this, massive concerns were raised by experts and concerned individuals to boost more minor restrictions for accessing e-cigarettes and vaping products in the region.
"It is crucial the government takes action to prevent the vaping industry from marketing their products towards children," said Sarah MacFadyen, head of policy and public affairs at Asthma + Lung UK. "Enforcement of the age of sale laws is also a problem and should be better resourced so that young people cannot access vapes."
Vape, E-Cigarette Dangers on Health
The e-cigarette, a.k.a. the vape industry, was made to help long-time cigarette and tobacco users get an alternative to their vices, one that could essentially help them relieve the high levels of nicotine and stop in the future.
However, it has attracted both tobacco and non-tobacco users to utilize it, with vaping now known as a vice, and was found to greatly affect the youth.
Massive companies behind vaping, previously known for offering an alternative to cigarettes for users to quit in the future, faced massive scrutiny with youth vaping complaints.
One company, Juul Labs, is known for facing massive lawsuits and complaints for their products, and this led to the company settling the case for as much as $1.2 billion for the underage vaping epidemic in the US.
Different parts and regions of the world also face this problem, including the United Kingdom, which recently talked about the ban on tobacco sales as it is easily accessible by users under the age of 18.
A recent discovery now brings to light the dangers and widespread availability of vaping and e-cigarette devices to the youth, leading to as many as 50 hospitalizations and concerned parties calling out the government to stop this problem.
Related Article: UK Lawmakers Debate Ban on Tobacco Sales to Anyone Under 18 Forever
