Urgent warning as vapes are banned at schools – here’s all parents need to know
AN urgent warning has been issued to parents as vapes are banned in schools.
Children as young as 10 have been caught smoking the flavoured e-cigs in the toilets on their lunch breaks.
Evelyn Forde, head teacher at Copthall School in Mill Hill, north London, said vapes aren’t allowed – but kids still smoke them.
Ms Forde now wants to spend thousands of pounds installing sensors in a bid to prevent students from using them in the toilets.
She told inews: “[A vape is] a banned item in our school, it’s banned like cigarettes or a knife.
“We take it very seriously because we can see the danger it would have on their health.”
Teachers are asking parents and older siblings not to buy vapes for underage kids as there is “zero fruit” in them.
According to the annual YouGov Smokefree youth survey for Action on Smoking and Health, the percentage of children who vape more than once a week has risen from 1.3 per cent in 2020 to 3.1 per cent in 2022.
Specialists are now warning, as well as fears vaping could cause brain development issues, it could also be a gateway to other drugs.
Ministers are also debating discouraging e-cigs by introducing a levy on disposable vapes, such as Elf Bars.
The price could be raised in greater alignment with reusable vapes, making them less affordable for kids.
Sir Chris Whitty warned this week that the country must crackdown on vaping kids as numbers continue to climb.
The straight-talking health chief said the marketing of the products towards teens was “utterly unacceptable”.
He explained some brands are “clearly marketed at children” and it should not be allowed.
Elfbar said: “How to better protect younger and underage groups is a topic for the entire industry and is also a top priority for Elfbar.
“We have launched a series of programmes including the Lighthouse Guardian Program, to protect teenagers’ safety and prevent their usage of nicotine in any form.
“We actively engage industry associations, government and policy bodies, and other key stakeholders in this area.”
Industry figures this week told Jeremy Hunt a vape tax would be “counterproductive” as it helps smokers kick the habit.
Although it would ruffle feathers in the booming industry, charities and campaigners are staunchly behind the proposals.
The plans have been put forward as part of the government’s response to the Khan Review into smoking.
The damning report urged ministers to “do everything they possibly can to prevent children and young people from vaping, including by banning child-friendly packaging and descriptions”.
It also suggested increasing the smoking age each year could combat the UK’s cigarette crisis.