Vaping targeted at children
England's Chief Medical Officer has criticised the "appalling" marketing of vapes to children, highlighting the evident appeal of certain products to underage kids. The professor has called on the government to take stronger action to prevent children from smoking e-cigarettes, emphasising that marketing these products to young teenagers is "utterly unacceptable." Speaking to MPs on the Health and Social Care Select Committee, Professor Sir Chris Whitty emphasised the need for serious action to reduce vaping among children.
Vaping - a health hazard for children?
During the meeting, Dr. Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, expressed concern about the "heavy marketing" of vaping products to children. Professor Whitty agreed that action needed to be taken, highlighting that everyone agrees that marketing an addictive product like vapes, with unknown consequences for developing minds, to children is entirely unacceptable.
The professor drew attention to the increase in vaping among children in recent years. While rates of vaping among children were low initially, they have doubled in the last two years. Professor Whitty stressed the importance of doing everything possible to reduce vaping among children, pointing out that certain disposable vapes like Elf Bar appear to be marketed towards children. He called for these products to be thoroughly investigated to understand why they are being developed for children.
Responsible vaping - Riot's stance
At Riot, we take the responsibility of manufacturing and marketing vaping products seriously. We are committed to designing products that are not appealing to children and are only marketed to adult smokers who are looking to quit smoking. We share the concerns expressed by Professor Whitty and support the need for regulation and effective measures to prevent the marketing of vaping products to children.
While acknowledging the benefits of vaping as a tool to help smokers quit, Professor Whitty has urged that we should work together to reduce the number of children taking up vaping. With this in mind, Riot is committed to creating responsible products, and we are dedicated to supporting smokers who are looking to transition to vaping.
