See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy CIARAN FOREMAN, HEALTH REPORTER Published: 21:47 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 21:54 BST, 19 August 2026
Children who vape are more likely to suffer breathing problems, poor mental health and a host of other health issues, a major review has found.Experts warned vaping is a 'gateway' to smoking tobacco and 'should not be seen as a harmless part of growing up'.Doctors from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) examined all published studies on vaping among young people. They are now urging ministers to 'go further' than the curbs proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Act.Some 5.5million people, including nearly a million 11 to 17-year-olds, are thought to vape – with experts warning that colourful packaging and sweet flavours have helped entice youngsters.The RCPCH analysed 81 studies examining the health and social effects of vaping among young people. It was associated with respiratory problems including wheezing and coughing, anxiety, depression and panic disorders.The analysis also found links to sleep problems, eye conditions and oral health problems such as inflammation, ulcers and dry mouth. There was evidence of harm in babies whose mothers vaped while pregnant, too, including 'more abnormal reflexes', 'lower motor maturity', poorer self-regulation and higher risks of low weight gain.Publishing their findings in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, the doctors wrote: 'There is strong evidence... that vaping predicts and increases the risk of subsequent cigarette initiation among young people who have never smoked.'There is consistent evidence... that young people who vape report higher rates of cough, wheeze and other respiratory symptoms than non-vapers.' Children who vape are more likely to suffer breathing problems, poor mental health and a host of other health issues, a major review has found
