What is vaping?
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or vapes) are battery-powered devices which heat a liquid that becomes a vapour you inhale. This liquid often contains nicotine and flavourings.
What do vaping devices look like?
Some can look like pens or flash drives for computers that be easily hidden in plain view.
Is vaping bad for you?
Vaping is much less harmful than smoking. However, although we don’t yet fully understand the long-term effects vaping has on our health, evidence shows that e-cigarettes or vapes are not harm-free. Vapes contain nicotine, and may quickly become harmfully addictive for young people.
Young people can quickly become addicted to nicotine, and this can affect their concentration and impact their ability to learn and study. Nicotine withdrawal can also disrupt sleep and may cause headaches. It can also affect their mental health and mood.
While the long-term effects of vaping are still being researched, it’s thought they can have a negative impact on the health of the heart and lungs. Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Physicians all state that vapes should only be used by adults who smoke as an aid to giving up smoking.
You can find out more about the harmful effects of vaping on the NHS Inform website.
It’s also worth noting that, although vapes can seem cheap compared to cigarettes, using them regularly can quickly add up to a lot of money.
They were originally intended to help people stop smoking, and are only meant to be used for a short time. But they’re now being used by young people who have never actually smoked.
The Law
In Scotland, it’s illegal to sell vapes or e-cigarettes to anyone under 18, or to buy them for someone who’s under 18. But this doesn’t stop young people from getting hold of them. Here you can find out more about the risks of vaping, how you can talk to your child about it and what to do to support them if they’ve taken it up.
Getting help and support
If you’re concerned about your child vaping, you don’t have to cope with the situation on your own.
- Childline offers advice and help for young people to give up vaping.
- Quit Your Way Scotland offers support to anyone looking to give up vaping or smoking, no matter how old they are. You or your child can chat to an adviser on the helpline or online.
- Parentclub also has useful advice
- Visit nhsinform.scot/vaping to find out more.
