Vaping and young people
Vape awareness resources and information about vaping for professionals and parents.
On this page, you’ll find vape awareness resources and information about vaping and young people, provided by Redbridge Quits Smoking (RQS).
Key messages
Vapes have proven to be successful in helping adult smokers to stop and are significantly less harmful than tobacco, but they are not harmless.
Here are some key messages that can help you have a conversation with young people about vaping:
- Most young people don’t smoke or vape.
- Vaping can cause short-term effects like coughing and dizziness, with long-term effects still unknown.
- Although vapes have been around for over 15 years, there isn’t yet enough evidence to know what the long-term effects might be.
- It’s illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18 due to age restrictions.
- Unregulated vapes can be more attractive but are riskier, potentially more addictive, and harmful due to unknown ingredients and design safety.
- Disposable vapes harm the environment, with over 1.3 million thrown away weekly in the UK.
- Nicotine in vapes is addictive, leading to withdrawal symptoms like restlessness and irritability, making it hard to quit. It’s best for non-smokers to avoid developing a nicotine addiction from vaping.
The overall message to children and young people is: if you don’t already smoke, don’t start vaping.
Vaping and me: vaping information for young people
If the young person is thinking about vaping, or already vape, click the button below for some information that can help them make up their own mind about it.
Vaping awareness resources
You can find some resources below but we also offer vaping awareness sessions to students of any age, as well as sessions for professionals and carers. To make an enquiry, email: RQS@viaorg.uk.
- Printable posters and an animated film for school display and discussions
- An electronic leaflet for parents and carers
Support for young people who want to quit vaping
Are you are working with or care for a young person who wants to stop vaping or smoking tobacco but is struggling to do it by themselves?
Redbridge Quits Smoking can support anyone aged 12+ who lives or studies in Redbridge.
We also work with our specialist young people’s service, Fusion, to help young people who add psychoactive drugs to their vape. Click the button below to make a referral.
We offer support in person, by phone, or online (via Zoom/Teams) for easier access.
While we encourage young people to involve others for additional support, we respect confidentiality under Fraser Guidelines/Gillick Competence during treatment.
