Naz Shah: 'For sake of our children, we must take action'

E-cigarettes and vaping, a blessing or a curse?

Initially what was an effective tool to help quit smoking, has become a viral habit creating new problems.

The trend of vaping has surpassed its target audience of cigarette smokers and has now entered a new market – our young children.

Children as young as 10 are vaping. Let that sink in.

According to the public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), smoking among children under 16 in England has been tracked since 1982, when 19 per cent were smokers.

The rate remained at 19 per cent in 2000, but by 2018, it had decreased by nearly three-quarters to five per cent. 

Naz Shah MP (Image: Newsquest/Mike Simmonds) While the trend of children smoking cigarettes has significantly declined, the popularity of vape products has surged, with 1 in 10 people over the age of 16 in Britain now using e-cigarettes.

ASH also reported from its 2024 'Smokefree GB Youth' survey that 18 per cent of children aged 11 to 17—around 980,000—had tried vaping.

That is nearly one million children who have now tried vaping. This includes 390,000 who are vaping less than once a week, and these are only the ones that we know about.

This is why,  today I am launching my call to action on preventing children vaping and I need your help.

Vaping was introduced as an alternative to address the widespread issue of smoking which has plagued our society, in an attempt to counteract the health issues from cigarettes, such as cancer, heart disease, respiratory issues, and much more.

It was also an avenue to protect our NHS, as cigarette smoking is the UK’s single biggest preventable killer that costs the NHS and the economy an estimated £17 billion a year.

It was not brought in to create a new trend in our young people and build another health burden for our future.

While it is true that vaping is not as dangerous for our health as cigarettes, research indicates that vaping can cause long-term health issues to young people’s lungs, hearts, and brains. This is especially the case for illegal vapes.

Figures from NHS England 2022/2023 showed there were 15 cases where children aged nine or under needed to be admitted in the year to April, up from 12 last year and two the year before that.

The horror stories from paediatric chest physicians, researchers, and experts on how vaping can put children into intensive care, with conditions such as lung bleeding, collapsed lungs, air leaks, and lungs filling up with fat are becoming far too common.

But why are so many young children vaping and how are they getting access to these vapes?

These products are marketed in brightly coloured packaging, with fruit flavours that attract children, and prominently displayed in stores, further increasing their appeal, attracting a younger audience.

These products contain nicotine which is a highly addictive substance which can be difficult to stop once started especially for young people.

Whilst selling e-cigarettes and vapes to under-18s is illegal, we have shops and suppliers that are selling these harmful products to kids as young as 12, here in Bradford.

This year, in August, a 13-year-old was sold a vape during a test purchase. This is a prime example of how this is getting out of hand, not only in our community but nationwide, as this practice occurs throughout the country, with young school children being able to access these products.

Therefore, today I am partnering with West Yorkshire Police to help expose, prevent, and stop the sale of e-cigarettes and vapes to under-18s here in Bradford.

We will do this by firstly raising awareness and reporting those who are selling illegal vapes to under-18s. We will then work with trading standards and the police to ensure those continuing this illegal activity are either sanctioned with penalties, closed down, or prosecuted for their crimes.

I am urging all those with information to report those known to be selling vapes to under- 18’s to Crimestoppers.

From here, it will directly be picked up by West Yorkshire Police. Additionally, if you wish to pass on your story as a worried parent who is concerned about this matter, I urge you to contact my office who will keep a record of the case studies to help raise awareness on this issue.

For the sake of our children’s future, we must take action now and prevent this trend of vaping that could damage their health now and in the future.