Manchester Residents Call for Action as Youth Vaping and Smoking Rise 🚭

The use of vapes - also known as e-cigarettes - by young people is on the rise.<br /><br />Public health charity Action on Smoking and Health and King's College London found that 7 percent of teens aged 11-18 reported vape use in 2022 - an increase of 3.7 percent since 2021.<br /><br />Vapes have been shown to help people quit smoking, but they are not designed for use by those that have never smoked.<br /><br />A local headteacher told the BBC that vaping and the use of e-cigarettes has become "a new pandemic."<br /><br />Tony McCabe, who leads St Joseph's RC High School in Bolton, said there was a rise in young people acquiring vapes illegally.<br /><br />He said he has installed sensors in the bathrooms to detect devices after pupils started visiting the toilets more often to vape.<br /><br />We asked local people their thoughts on teenagers using e-cigarettes and what they think should be done to crack down on it.