Almost one in 10 secondary school pupils currently vape

A quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds have tried vaping and nearly one in 10 do it frequently, according to new statistics.

The report for 2023 showed regular or occasional vaping in high school children had increased from six per cent in 2018.

The report also shows only 11 per cent of young people have smoked at least once, the lowest level recorded by the survey.

The NHS said they are supporting the government’s ambition for a smoke-free generation by 2030, with a focus on stopping people from starting to smoke. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness and deaths in adults and treating the health issues it causes costs the NHS around £2.5 billion each year.

Matt Fagg, NHS England’s director for prevention and long-term conditions, said: “It is incredibly concerning that almost one in 10 young people regularly or occasionally vape – it means they are at risk of becoming hooked on one of the world’s most addictive substances, and that is before we consider the longer-term impacts which are still unclear.

“We welcome the government’s commitment to tackle the promotion of e-cigarettes to children and young people through legislation at the earliest opportunity and look forward to working with them and other partners to help the next generation grow up smoke and vape-free”.

Minister for public health and prevention Andrew Gwynne said: “It’s very worrying to see a quarter of pupils tried vaping last year. The health advice is clear that children and adult non-smokers should never vape, so it is unacceptable to see unscrupulous retailers marketing them at children.

“Through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we will stop vapes from being deliberately branded to target children, protecting future generations from becoming hooked on nicotine and ensuring the next generation grows up smoke and vape free”.

The report also includes results from a biennial survey of secondary school pupils in England in school years 7 to 11, with questions on smoking, drinking and drug use as well as wellbeing and anxiety.

For the first time, this year’s survey asked pupils about loneliness, with 10 per cent of participants saying they felt lonely often or all the time, and 18 per cent said they often felt they had no one to talk to.

Today’s statistics also showed that the number of young people taking drugs has also decreased, with 13 per cent of pupils reported having ever taken drugs, compared to 18 per cent in 2021.

Cannabis is the drug pupils were most likely to have taken, with seven per cent saying they had ever taken it, a similar proportion to 2021. Those reporting taking class A drugs has remained at around two per cent to four per cent since 2010.

More than a third of pupils said they had ever had an alcoholic drink, which was a similar level to 2021.