Why young people might start smoking or vaping, what to do if your child may be smoking or vaping and stop smoking support for schools, families and young people.
Smoking
Young people often start smoking by copying behaviours seen in their family, friends and those they see in frequently visited places.
Exposure to marketing or adverts, seeing smoking in media and how easy it is to get hold of cigarettes are also factors that play a part in young people taking up smoking.
The younger a child or young person starts smoking, the greater potential for harm there. Smoking when young often leads to heavier smoking in adulthood, less chance of quitting, and greater chance of addiction.
Vaping
Vaping is an effective way for adults to stop smoking. It's not for children, and it's not advised for people who do not smoke.
In Bristol, about 20% of young people have tried vaping. This has increased over the last few years, as vaping has become more common and disposable vapes have become more accessible.
Of the young people who've tried vaping, most of it's experimental use where they have tried vaping once or twice.
Most young people who've tried vaping are also smoking, or have previously smoked.
There's no evidence to suggest that young people are more likely to start smoking after trying vaping.
It's important that children and young people understand:
- vaping is intended as a way for adult smokers to stop smoking, not something for non-smokers or children.
- while vaping is less harmful than smoking, this doesn't mean that it's harmless, and the long-term effects are not yet known
- many vapes contain nicotine, an addictive chemical that can make it harder to quit once you start
What to do if you think your child may be smoking or vaping
If you find that your child is smoking, you can seek advice from your GP, Public Health School Nurse, or school.