The exploding popularity in youngsters vaping has sparked fears a generation could end up with long-term addictions and lung damage. Here, a psychotherapist answers parents’ most common questions
Ever since one of the UK’s leading respiratory doctors raised the alarm over the worrying vaping epidemic among our teenagers, parents up and down the country have become increasingly concerned over the matter.
The exploding popularity with the young has sparked fears a generation could end up with long-term addictions and lung damage. Earlier this year, Dr Mike McKean, vice-president of policy for the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health, said if vaping’s rapid growth maintains its current trajectory, then almost all children will vape within five years.
Even though it is illegal before the age of 18, NHS figures for 2021 showed that 9 per cent of secondary school children used e-cigarettes, up from 6 per cent in 2018, and a figure which increases to 18 per cent for 15-year-olds. Despite manufacturers’ claims to the contrary, the long-term health effects of vaping remain unclear due to it still being a relatively new phenomenon.
It’s an issue concerning many parents, so with this in mind, family psychotherapist, Fiona Yassin, has answered your most common questions on the topic.