Let’s be clear. Vaping helps adult smokers move away from cigarettes, that’s the point. The challenge is youth access. We don’t need scare stories, we need smart, targeted action that protects kids without throwing adult harm reduction under the bus.
What the Evidence Does, and Doesn’t Say
A recent umbrella review pulled together dozens of studies and sparked headlines about a “gateway” from vaping to smoking. The UKVIA takes a different view:
If a gateway were real, we’d expect more young smokers, not record lows in youth and adult smoking.
UKVIA notes the review itself rates much of the included evidence as low or critically low quality. If a gateway were real, we’d expect more young smokers, not record lows in youth and adult smoking. NHS and CRUK have also said the gateway claim isn’t established. The focus should be youth access enforcement, not blanket fear.
Translation: let’s keep the conversation evidence-led, not anxiety-led.
The Missing Context: Social & Economic Drivers of Youth Smoking
Youth smoking doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it tracks with the world teens grow up in.
- Home and community matter. Young people raised where people smoke are about four times more likely to become smokers, smoking is twice as common among disadvantaged groups (ASH).
- Rates remain at record lows. ASH’s youth fact sheet for England shows just 3% of 11–15 year olds currently smoke (2023), with never smoking at 11%, the lowest since records began. Policy, price, access controls and social norms all shape those trends (ASH).
- Confounding is real life. The umbrella review notes many primary studies adjust for age, sex and socioeconomic status, and sometimes more, but also concedes it’s “difficult to eliminate confounding” in real-world settings. That’s exactly where social and economic factors bite.
- So what? If you want to understand why some teenagers both vape and later smoke, you have to account for background disadvantage, peer/family smoking, and local norms, pieces of the puzzle an umbrella review of individual-level associations can’t fully resolve on its own.
Bottom line: address the environmental drivers and you choke off the pipeline to smoking without undermining harm reduction for adults.
The Real Problem: Underage Sales, Not Adult Switching
Kids shouldn’t vape full stop. But the fix isn’t demonising vaping for everyone, it’s stopping sales to minors and shutting down the rogue retailers who cut corners.
UKVIA’s stance we support:
- Licensing for vape retailers to raise standards and kick out bad actors.
- £10,000 fines (or stronger) for selling to minors, zero tolerance.
- Robust age verification both in-store and online.
- Clear marketing and placement rules to keep youth appeal out of the equation.
Disposables After the Ban: Close Loopholes, Don’t Punish Switchers
The UK ban on single-use disposable vapes (from 1 June 2025) targeted youth appeal and environmental waste. Good call. Now the work is enforcement: stop illegal imports, police online marketplaces, and ensure reusable products aren’t just “disposables in disguise.”
Meanwhile, adult ex-smokers still need accessible, regulated products that actually help them stay off cigarettes.
Protect youth access, preserve adult choice.
Keep What Works for Adults
For adult smokers, vaping remains a lower-harm alternative when used properly and sourced from compliant retailers. That means:
- Quality-assured products with clear nicotine information.
- Flavours for adults (the ones that keep ex-smokers away from tobacco) while removing youth-centric naming/packaging.
- Evidence-based comms—no hype, no fear.
Parents & Guardians: Practical, No-Drama Steps
- Talk, don’t preach. Ask what they’re seeing at school or online, cut through myths together.
- Set the boundary. It’s an adult product, no debate.
- Watch the sources. Cheap, unregulated devices are a red flag.
- If there’s curiosity, redirect. Sports, music, gaming leagues, youth clubs, give better outlets real airtime.
Policy That Actually Protects Young People
We back a balanced framework:
1) Retail licensing + meaningful fines for underage sales.
2) Strong age checks online and offline.
3) Marketing codes that keep adult choice, nix youth cues.
4) Border and marketplace enforcement against illicit trade.
5) Targeted community support in high-smoking, disadvantaged areas (parental cessation help, smoke-free homes, school and youth programmes).
6) Ongoing monitoring & research, follow the data and adjust.
Adults only. Harm reduction first. Zero tolerance for youth access
Our Position at Riot
At Riot E-Liquids, our line is simple:
Adults only. Harm reduction first. Zero tolerance for youth access.
We support tougher enforcement where it counts and clear, consistent rules that keep products effective for adult smokers, and out of kids’ hands.
No minors. No excuses.
Protect youth access, clamp down on rogue traders, preserve adult choice.
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Recent Studies and News
independent.co.uk: A major global review suggests that young people who vape are three times more likely to start smoking. The study also found links between youth vaping and an increased risk of asthma, poor mental health, and substance use. Researchers analyzed 56 reviews, which included 384 studies, and found "consistent evidence" of this association.
theguardian.com: This article also reports on the umbrella review finding that young vape users are three times as likely to begin smoking. It highlights that vaping is linked to other negative outcomes such as asthma and poor mental health and could be acting as a gateway to smoking for young people.
uk.news.yahoo.com: This article reiterates the findings of the largest global review on youth vaping, which suggests it acts as a gateway to smoking. The review of 56 studies found "consistent evidence" that young vapers are three times more likely to become smokers.
uk.news.yahoo.com: This article also covers the same comprehensive study, emphasizing that children who vape are three times more likely to take up smoking. The research analyzed 384 studies and also linked youth vaping to a range of health issues.
sciencemediacentre.org: This page provides expert reactions to the umbrella review on youth vaping. Some experts caution that while there is a consistent association between vaping and subsequent smoking, it is difficult to establish a causal relationship from the available data. The quality of the underlying studies is also raised as a concern, with many being rated as low or critically low quality.
Health Organizations and Charities
e-liquids.uk: Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has clarified its stance, stating that e-cigarettes are a valuable tool for smokers looking to quit. While acknowledging that vaping is not risk-free and should not be taken up by non-smokers, CRUK emphasizes that research shows it is "far less harmful than smoking".
news.cancerresearchuk.org: This 2021 article from Cancer Research UK explains what is known and unknown about e-cigarettes. It highlights that while more research is needed on the long-term effects, the evidence to date indicates that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking tobacco.
vapingpost.com: This article from 2017 discusses Cancer Research UK's support for e-cigarettes as a harm reduction tool to help people stop smoking. The organization believes vaping can have a significant impact in the fight against cancer by helping smokers quit.
ash.org.uk: Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) provides information and resources on youth smoking and the associated health inequalities.
nhs.uk (Better Health): The NHS states that nicotine vaping is less harmful than smoking and is one of the most effective tools for quitting. However, it is not completely harmless, and the long-term effects are still unknown. The advice is that non-smokers and children should never vape.
nhs.uk (Live Well): This page debunks common myths about vaping, stating that while not risk-free, it is significantly less harmful than smoking. It also highlights that vapes are a more effective stop-smoking aid than nicotine replacement therapies like patches or gum.
Government and Legislation
bills.parliament.uk: This link directs to publications related to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to create a "smoke-free generation". The bill includes provisions to restrict the sale of tobacco to those born on or after January 1, 2009, and to regulate vape products to make them less appealing to children.
vapesuperstore.co.uk: This article discusses the UK's ban on disposable vapes, which came into effect on June 1, 2025. The ban is aimed at curbing youth vaping and addressing environmental concerns. The article also notes concerns about the potential for the ban to lead to a rise in the black market and for some vapers to return to smoking.
antr.uk: The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) warns that the ban on disposable vapes could lead to a surge in the black market and an increase in smoking rates. They argue that enforcement of existing laws, rather than a ban, is the better approach.
tobaccoreporter.com: This article reports on the UKVIA's concern that the ban on disposable vapes is driving some former users back to smoking or to the illicit market. The association calls for a public health campaign on the relative safety of vaping and a licensing scheme for retailers.
Research and Academic Papers
mdpi.com: This refers to a journal article that likely explores the relationship between e-cigarette use and subsequent combustible tobacco cigarette smoking.
ijip.in: This links to a PDF of a research article on the topic of vaping.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: This is a link to an article in the PubMed Central database, a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature.
