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A new study has laid bare the extent to which Kent’s youngsters have succumbed to nicotine addiction through vaping.
A survey of 5,493 pupils at 33 schools in the county showed that around 10% (562) are current vapers.
The results were presented to Kent County Council’s Health Reform and Public Health cabinet committee on March 11.
The study was set against a background of growing concern about the health impacts of vaping on young bodies.
Jason Hickson, of KCC’s Kent Analytics team, said the sample needed to be large, spread across the whole of the county and from all age groups.
He told the committee: “It (vaping) was perceived to be a socially acceptable thing to do, unlike smoking.”
Mr Hickson added: “One third (of the regular vapers) felt the need to vape every hour. That’s quite high and that suggests that proportion are addicted and 27% of vapers believe they are addicted or know they are addicted.”
Most of the vapers sourced their products from corner shops (49%) and vaping outlets (36%). More than three quarters of respondents favoured fruit flavours.
Of social media platforms promoting vaping products, 52% of the sample cited TikTok, said Mr Hickson.
Asked why they vape, 45% of respondents said it helps them “chill out and relax” and 39% said it makes them feel less anxious.
Mr Hickson told members: “Over half of current vapers said they do not wish to stop which is a little bit alarming.”
Public health officials agree that while vaping can wean smokers off tobacco, the products contain nicotine which is considered addictive.
Vapes can cause short-term side effects such as coughing, dizziness, sore throats and headaches.
But there is considerable concern that young people, whose bodies are still developing, are more susceptible to nicotine.
The papers state: “Despite the age of sale laws, there is a clear emerging trend in vaping among young people, generating public concern of potential health risks, nicotine addiction and fear of introducing a new gateway into smoking.”
There will be a ban on the sale of one-use disposable vapes in June this year.
A similar survey will be carried out in 2026, to compare the statistics after the ban comes into force, the committee was told.
Mr Hickson said that he would like to see qualitative research to see if there is a correlation between vaping, the schools and their proximity to retail outlets.
Cllr Linda Wright, who represents Birchington, told colleagues she lives on a main road and regularly sees students “chucking away” their vapes before they get to school.
Rochester GP Dr Julian Spinks said much is unknown about the longer term effects of vape ingredients, such as moisture and glycerol, in young people.
It can cause rapid heart beats and could damage their teeth, he added.
Dr Spinks said: “Some vapes have a higher nicotine content than cigarettes and we don’t want young people addicted to it. We genuinely do not know at this stage about the long-term effects of these ingredients.
“Young people have got smaller bodies which are still growing and vaping could have greater side-effects. Nicotine is not a pleasant substance - it’s not harmless. It is developed in plants as an insecticide.”
Echoing the theme, Cllr Tony Hills told committee members: “We don’t know how dangerous they are. I think we need to flag up concerns about vapes. They could be harmless but they could also contain chemicals we don’t understand or know about.”
KCC Director of Public Health, Dr Anjan Ghosh, said the next issue to be addressed will be nicotine pouches which are placed under the upper lip.
He told the committee: “We semi-won the battle against smoking and then you have vaping coming in as the next frontier and then there is yet another frontier coming in in the form of nicotine pouches.”
