Vaping

Young people and vaping  

There are rising concerns about young people and their vaping. Exposure to advertising and promotion of vaping products has grown, with an increase in young people reporting seeing vape promotion in recent years. In 2025, the ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) survey found almost three-quarters of 11 to 17 year olds who are aware of vapes said they were exposed to some form of vape promotion, with the main sources being in shops and online.

Under The Tobacco Products Directive (TRPR), advertising on social media platforms are currently not restricted. A study found that amongst young people, more frequent use of social media was associated with increased odds of vaping, with evidence of dose response in associations between time spent on social media and e-cigarette use. Measures set out in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill looks to build on advertising restrictions set out in the TRPR and although not explicitly stated in the bill, it is hopeful this will include social media platforms which are known to be popular among young people.

There is limited data available regarding youth vaping in Stockton-on-Tees. The Health Related Behaviour Survey, developed by the Schools Health Education Unit (SHEU) has asked year 8 and year 10 children about vaping for the last 2 surveys in 2022 and 2024. This is currently the only reflective vaping measure for children at a local level. The SHEU survey relies on self-reporting from children and young people. The potential under or over reporting of vape usage, limits the ability to accurately grasp the extent of the issue.

Unfortunately, there is currently no way of tracking vaping prevalence in children under the age of 11 years. Unreliable evidence would suggest that younger people are using e-cigarettes, although perhaps from an angle of experimentation, rather than being due to dependency. This provides the opportunity for potential future needs analysis, and extension of service provision to younger age categories, particularly from an early intervention and health education angle.

Adults and vaping

Vaping products were originally introduced as a method to help smokers reduce and ultimately quit smoking. However, in recent years there has been an increase in people vaping who have never smoked. Many adults also self-identify as dual-users of both cigarettes and vapes. However, the extent to which this is used as a way to lower and or stop cigarette use is not fully understood.

Data from the most recent ASH survey indicates 1 in 10 adults currently vape, equivalent to 5.5 million adults in Great Britain. Vaping is much more common amongst current and ex-smokers. More than half of current vape users are ex-smokers, equal to 3 million people. However, an estimated 260,000 adults have never smoked but do currently vape.

It is difficult to measure local prevalence of vaping in adults as there are no formal estimates for sub-regional areas. Since April 2023 in Stockton-on-Tees, through the Specialist Stop Smoking Service, a total of 421 vape kits has been provided to clients as part of the Swap to Stop scheme. (This information is correct as of May 2025).

Illegal vaping products can be dangerous due to being unregulated and untested, potentially containing higher levels of nicotine and other substances. In 2024, locally within Stockton-on-Tees, 4,900 illegal vapes were seized or surrendered. Nationally, this figure is 1,193,958 (this doesn't include those seized at ports). Enforcement is becoming more difficult due to organised crime (can be closely linked to sale of illicit tobacco), use of concealment and product innovation.   

In terms of underage sales for vapes, there was a 20% failure rate locally (8 positive sales out of 40 test purchase attempts) compared to 26% failure rate nationally (854 positive sales out of 3,284 test purchase attempts).