A recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report stated that 15 million children, aged 13 to 15, are already using e-cigarettes (vapes).
The same report also found that children are nine times more likely to vape compared to adults.
Source: WHO
The report, released on Monday (6 Oct), stated that there are over 100 million vape users worldwide.
This was the first time that the WHO had provided estimates of vape usage globally.
Adults made up the majority, with at least 86 million users. The WHO added that most of these adult users were concentrated in high-income countries.
Source: E-Liquids UK on Unsplash. For illustrative purposes only
Worryingly, WHO estimated that more than 15 million children — aged 13 to 15 — were already using vapes.
WHO also observed that children were, on average, nine times more likely to vape, compared to adults.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that as millions of people were stopping tobacco use, the tobacco industry is “fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people.”
Source: Piman Khrutmuang on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
As such, Dr Tedros urged countries to “act faster and stronger” to implement tobacco control policies.
The WHO report also noted that tobacco companies are introducing “new products and technologies”.
Some of these products include nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products.
Etienne Krug, a WHO director, said of vapes:
They are marketed as harm reduction, but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.
WHO stated that since 2010, the number of tobacco users had dropped by 120 million.
In particular, Southeast Asia — described as once the “world’s hotspot'” has seen tobacco usage among men drop from 70% in 2000 to 37% in 2024.
Also read: 17-year-old girl charged with trafficking Kpods, 16 vapes & components found in her residence
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Featured image adapted from E-Liquids UK on Unsplash and Piman Khrutmuang on Canva.