Help young vapers and don't judge, consultant says

Parents should help young people quit vaping by offering "support - not judgement", a hospital consultant has said as a ban on the sale and supply of disposable vapes comes into force on Sunday.

The government hopes the ban will curb littering and cut down youth vaping, which has increased despite it being illegal to sell the products to under-18s.

Professor Rachel Isba, from Alder Hey Children's Hospital vaping cessation clinic in Liverpool, told BBC Radio 4 that vaping had "sort of snuck up on children and was now so widespread that it's sort of normalised".

She advised parents to "guide" their children to a choice rather than just saying they were not allowed, but admitted "it's tricky".

Seventeen-year-old Bella is among those receiving support at Alder Hey after vaping for three years.

"I wake up and then reach for my vape and then feel like I'm ready," she said.

Her mother Lindsey recalled Bella asking for a box of vapes as a Christmas gift, and said: "I just shook my head and walked away from her."

Bella told the BBC she had also seen "really young people vaping in the toilets" at school.

"I think it's good that they're banning disposable vapes because it's harder to get a reusable one so now more kids can't start."

But Bella said she also felt there was a lack of support for young vapers, which Prof Isba agreed with.

"There are probably tens of thousands of children and young people who want to stop vaping and we don't have the services to support them," she said.

"One of the great joys of this clinic [at Alder Hey] is that we can craft it around individual children and young people."

She urged parents and carers to approach the issue of their child vaping "from a place of support, not judgement, which is really hard as a parent myself".

She said: "It's tricky because you want your child to be as healthy as they can.

"But actually my experience has been that supporting them and guiding them to a decision or a choice - rather than just saying 'you are not allowed to vape, you are not allowed to smoke, don't do it' - is a really great place to start."

Marcus Sexton, of Blackburn vape shop chain Totally Wicked, said he thought the ban on disposable vapes was more "about environmental grounds".

"I was in Manchester recently watching people return them [for recycling]. It's great - but not enough people do," Mr Sexton said.

He called on the government to "make sure they don't throw the baby out with the bathwater by making it so hard and difficult for stores and consumers who are smokers to access these products".

But he agreed that should be balanced with restricting access for those who were underage.

Nature Minister Mary Creagh, who is an ex-smoker and pushed for the ban, admitted vapes could help people quit smoking but said she did not want a new generation to start vaping.

She said about eight million disposable vapes were thrown away per week, and they cause 1,200 fires annually.

There have been widespread concerns about the use of some brands which have "skyrocketed, particularly among younger people", according to the government.

Recent data suggested about 980,000 youngsters aged 11-17 have tried vaping, which is about 18% of that age demographic.

However those who vape regularly were estimated to be about 3.7% of the 11-18 age group.

The NHS said "developing lungs and brains mean they are more sensitive" to the impact of nicotine vaping, which is "less harmful than smoking but is not risk-free".

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