England mulls to ban vaping outside schools and hospitals in a bid to safeguard children

Ministers in England are mulling to ban vaping in playgrounds, hospital grounds, and near schools in an attempt to prevent children from taking up the habit. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is proposing to restrict the use of e-cigarettes outdoors in England. The move has also garnered support from Chris Whitty, the country’s chief medical officer for England, The Guardian reported.

As per the report, the restrictions will include the consumption of tobacco and vapes in the aforementioned areas, and a bill regarding this is due to be presented to the parliament in the coming weeks. Whitty also plans to include pub gardens in the ban. However, no final decision has been made in this regard.

The move came a week after a study found that 1 million people in England now vape despite having been regular smokers in the past. This marked a seven-fold increase in just three years. When it comes to e-cigarette use among adults who have never regularly had cigarettes, the figure remained stable only until 2021. However, the proportion increased sharply to one in 28 in 2024 – 1,006,000 people – according to the study published in the Lancet Public Health journal.

Vaping figures concerning among adults in the UK

According to separate figures released by the Office for National Statistics, 5.1 million people aged 16 or over in Britain – about one in 10 – use e-cigarettes. Not only this, vaping rates are higher among those aged between 16 to 24.

“Vaping has helped millions of adults quit smoking and is much less harmful than smoking. However, it is not risk-free, and high levels of use among young people and growing use among never-smokers is a concern,” Prof Nick Hopkinson, a respiratory physician and chair of Action on Smoking and Health, told The Guardian.

Prof Sanjay Agrawal, the Royal College of Physicians’ special adviser on tobacco, warned that “urgent action" is needed to tackle the rise in vaping among youngsters and those who had never smoked. “While e-cigarettes remain a valuable tool for helping smokers quit, it is essential that their use doesn’t create new public health risks, particularly among children,” he said.

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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson made it clear that children should never vape. “We do not comment on leaks. Whilst vapes can be an effective tool to help adult smokers quit, children should never vape,” the official averred.

“The tobacco and vapes bill will bring about definitive and positive change to stop future generations from becoming hooked on nicotine and stop vapes and other nicotine products from being deliberately branded to target children,” he added.