Jump to content

The message that vaping is 95% safer than smoking has backfired, encouraging some children to vape, says a top health expert.

Dr Mike McKean treats children with lung conditions and is vice-president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He says the 2015 public messaging should have been clearer - vapes are only for adults addicted to cigarettes.

Evidence on the possible health risks of vaping is still being gathered.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Dr McKean said: "Vaping is not for children and young people. In fact it could be very bad for you," although he stresses that it is not making lots of children very sick, and serious complications are rare.

"Vaping is only a tool for adults who are addicted to cigarettes."

He says the 95% safe messaging was "a very unwise thing to have done and it's opened the door to significant chaos".

"There are many children, young people who have taken up vaping who never intended to smoke and are now likely addicted to vaping. And I think it's absolutely shocking that we've allowed that to happen."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 26 September 2023

3 Comments


Recommended Comments

I think Dr. McKean makes an important point about the messaging being too vague and potentially misleading. Vaping pens have become a popular trend, but it’s clear that they aren’t risk-free, especially for kids who weren’t even smoking before. It’s unfortunate that some young people may now be addicted to vaping without realizing the potential long-term consequences.

  • 0 reactions so far

I think the "95% safer" messaging did more harm than good. It made vaping seem like a harmless alternative, but now we’re seeing more young people picking it up, even if they never smoked cigarettes in the first place.

  • 0 reactions so far
Quote

I think the "95% safer" messaging did more harm than good. It made vaping seem like a harmless alternative, but now we’re seeing more young people picking it up, even if they never smoked cigarettes in the first place.

I’ve noticed that some teens are using weed pens too, and it feels like that whole vaping thing is just snowballing into something bigger than we expected. I mean, I get that vaping can help people quit smoking, but it feels like we overlooked the impact on kids. It's definitely a tricky issue, but I think the messaging needs to be more clear—vaping should be a tool for adults, not something for kids to experiment with.

  • 0 reactions so far

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.