A new study has sounded the alarm on youth vaping by showing that one in three UK teenagers who use electronic cigarettes will go on to take up smoking tobacco – a likelihood that matches that of their peers in the 1970s [1]. At a time when teen smoking rates were believed to be in irreversible decline, these findings suggest that vaping may be acting as a serious gateway to nicotine addiction among young people [1].

The research drew on long term intergenerational data from three nationally representative birth cohorts of UK teens born in 1958, 1970 and 2001, focusing on those aged sixteen or seventeen in 2018 – the most recent year for which comparable data exist [1]. Among young people who had never vaped, just 1.5 per cent went on to smoke, but of those who had tried electronic cigarettes, thirty three per cent became tobacco smokers [1]. Although the study did not establish a causal link, its authors warned that the popularity of vaping threatened to undo decades of progress in reducing youth smoking [1].

Over the past fifty years, the overall chance of a teenager taking up smoking has fallen dramatically – from around thirty per cent for those born in 1958, to twenty two per cent for the 1970 cohort and just nine and a half per cent for those born in 2001 [1]. This decline has been driven by robust tobacco control laws, rising public awareness of the harms of smoking and a shift in social attitudes that rendered cigarettes unfashionable. Yet these gains are now under fresh pressure as vaping becomes more accessible and appealing to adolescents today [1].

Figures compiled this year by Action on Smoking and Health show that one fifth of eleven to seventeen year olds in Great Britain have tried using electronic cigarettes – roughly 1.1 million children – and that rate has stayed stubbornly high since 2023 [2]. Worryingly, youth smoking rates have also crept up, rising from fourteen per cent in 2023 to twenty one per cent in 2025 [2]. The convergence of rising vaping and smoking among teens demands urgent attention from policymakers and health educators alike.

Steve Turner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, described the findings as “incredibly concerning,” noting that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to developing a lifelong addiction to the nicotine contained in vapes [1]. He reminded us that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the UK and cautioned that “we have all worked so hard to stop young people from smoking and vaping may have undone decades of work” [1].

To protect the next generation, a multifaceted approach is essential. Strengthening age of sale enforcement, restricting the marketing and flavours that appeal to young people, and embedding vaping risks into school health education must all be prioritised. Parents and carers can play a vital role by talking openly about the dangers of nicotine and modelling smoke free behaviour. Without decisive action, the resurgence of teenage smoking could threaten not only individual health but also the nation’s hard won public health achievements.

Help us keep Britain’s youth vape-free. Subscribe to Vape Guardian for the latest research and policy updates. Share this post on social media and tag your MP to demand age-verified sales and a ban on youth-appeal flavours. Write to your local school asking for comprehensive lessons on vaping risks. Join our online forum to swap tips on talking to teens about nicotine. Together, we can stop vaping from becoming a gateway to smoking and secure a healthier future for the next generation.

Sources

1. Rachel Hall, “Third of UK teenagers who vape will go on to start smoking, research shows,” The Guardian, 29 July 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/29/third-of-uk-teenagers-who-vape-will-go-on-to-start-smoking-research-shows
2. Action on Smoking and Health, data on youth vaping and smoking rates, 2025. https://ash.org.uk
3. Khouja JN et al., “Associations of electronic cigarette use with subsequent smoking initiation in adolescents: evidence from three birth cohorts,” Tobacco Control, published July 2025. https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com