E-cigs which double up as fidget spinners are being sold in Britain, in what charities say illustrates how the market is trying to lure children in.
With the country in the midst of a child vaping epidemic, ministers have been urged to crackdown on how the devices are marketed.
They are often sold in glossy displays in a variety of colours, and with child-friendly names and flavours.
Leading experts have pointed to the Xhale Fidget Spinner Bar as being one perfect example of how e-cigarettes are subtly aimed towards children.
Sold in sweet-tasting flavours such as watermelon, blueberry and even Red Bull, the unique gadgets are available for as little as £5.99 online.
They are also packaged in an array of bright colours, including pink and orange.
Salford-based Guardian Vape, its manufacturer, markets it as the first fidget spinner vape bar in the UK.
On its website, it says they are designed to help smokers transition to vaping.
The device features two curved edges that can be spun around a fixed middle.
However, critics rubbished the claims, saying it was unlikely an adult would want to quit smoking using a kids’ toy.
The Xhale Fidget Spinner Bar (pictured), available online for just £5.99, doubles as a the twirling gadget which hit the market in 2017, targeted at those who struggle with ‘fidgeting’. The device, sold in flavours including strawberry, blueberry, mango, watermelon and Red Bull, features two curved edges that can be spun around a fixed middle
Traditional fidget spinners (pictured) are available at children’s shops, including Claire’s Accessories, Smyth’s Toys and The Entertainer
NHS Digital, which quizzed nearly 10,000 students aged 11 to 15 on their smoking, drug and drinking habits last year, found that nine per cent currently vape — the highest rate logged since the survey began in 2014
EVERYTHING NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VAPING
What are e-cigarettes?
E-cigarettes are devices that allow you to inhale nicotine in a vapour rather than smoke.
They do not burn tobacco or produce tar or carbon monoxide — two of the most harmful parts of tobacco smoke.
The devices work by heating liquid that contains nicotine and flavourings.
They can come as vape pens — which are shaped like a pen or small tube with a tank to store e-liquid and batteries — or pod systems that are rechargeable and often shaped like USB sticks.
Are they dangerous?
E-cigarettes are not risk-free but are believed to cause less harm than smoking.
However, its liquid and vapour contain harmful chemicals that are also found in traditional cigarettes, but it much lower levels.
These chemicals have been linked to lung inflammation, chronic coughs, shortness of breath and lung disease.
There have also been cases of e-cigarettes exploding or catching fire
Can children buy them?
A law came into force in 2011 which made it illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s in the UK.
However, there has been reports of children buying them directly from shops.
What action do experts want?
Campaigners have called for more funding to enforce the laws against underage sales, action on child-friendly packaging and labelling, as well as promotion on social media.
And a Government-commissioned review published in June recommended a review of vape flavours to ensure they don’t appeal to young people.
The paper, by former children’s charity chief Javed Khan, also recommended that cartoons and images on vaping products be banned.
Have other countries already taken action?
The US Food and Drug Administration banned all products sold by e-cigarette company Juul in June.
It found that there was not enough evidence to confirm its products did not harm public health.
Before the move, the US regulator had already banned the company from selling fruity flavours.
Hazel Cheesman of Action on Smoking and Health said: ‘These products are being sold online in places that appear to have only the most half-hearted of age-verification.
‘This plays into concerns that these retailers and manufacturers are not interested in behaving responsibly when it comes to selling products to children.
‘Plainly it’s unnecessary for an adult quitting smoking to have something that’s bright pink and doubles as a fidget spinner.
‘There are responsible retailers and manufacturers out there who want their products to help adults quit and they’re being sold short by those only interested in making a quick buck and don’t care who uses their products.’
It is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s in the UK.
A spokesperson for Guardian Vape said the vape would not be sold to under-18s.
Traditional fidget spinners, which soared in popularity five years ago, are available at children’s shops, including Claire’s Accessories, Smyth’s Toys and The Entertainer.
They were originally marketed as outlets for people who struggle with concentration due to ‘fidgeting’.
Shocked social media users questioned whether adults were really the target market for the fidget spinner vape.
Twitter-user Seb said: ‘You can never tell me that companies’ target market isn’t young kids.
‘What 18-year-old is going to be walking around with a fidget spinner that’s also a vape? It appeals perfectly to young kids.’
Mo Razzaq, Labour Councillor for South Lanarkshire, tweeted a picture of fidget spinner vapes, warning that there are ‘illegal vapes that are targeting the young’.
He encouraged the public to report anyone selling the devices to Trading Standards.
A spokesperson for Guardian Vape said the vape passes all UK regulations, and would not be sold to anyone under the age of 18.
The spokesperson insisted that a fidget spinner was not a ‘toy’, although they admitted they are sometimes sold in toy shops.
They added that anyone found illegally selling fidget spinner vapes to children was not affiliated with the manufacturer.
Dr Mike McKean, vice-president of policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: ‘As a paediatrician I am deeply disturbed in the rise of children and young people picking up e-cigarettes.
‘E-cigarettes remain a relatively new product and their long-term effects are still unknown.
‘It is clear that children and young people are being targeted by e-cigarette companies with bright packaging, exotic flavours and enticing names.
‘Disposable e-cigarettes are growing in popularity amongst children and young people and can be accessed easily in news agents and sweet shops. Nowadays there is a vape shop on almost every high street.
‘These companies are simply interested in “hooking” children and young people to make a profit off them — there is absolutely no thought or care about their health and wellbeing.
‘It is time for the UK Government to act by introducing plain packaging of e-cigarettes and nicotine and non-nicotine e-liquids packs.
‘Tighter restrictions on advertising of vaping products are also needed to ensure these products are only advertised for their medicinal purpose as a smoking reduction aid rather than a fun and colourful lifestyle product.
‘If action is not taken soon, we run the risk of having generations of children addicted to nicotine.’
It comes after shocking data this week revealed one in 10 children vape
NHS Digital, which quizzed nearly 10,000 students aged 11 to 15 on their smoking, drug and drinking habits last year, found that nine per cent currently vape — the highest rate logged since the survey began in 2014.
Girls appear to be driving the trend, with the vape rate doubling among them in the last three years, while it has remained flat among boys for five years.
As well as firms targeting children, experts have blamed the rise on social media, where videos showing off vape smoke tricks have racked up tens of millions of views.
A Government-funded report this year found that almost half of users had watched vape videos on TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat.
While the prevalence of vaping has gathered steam — jumping 50 per cent in just three years — the proportion lighting up traditional cigarettes has flatlined.
One in 33 pupils now smoke tobacco, compared to a peak of one in four in the 1990s.
How UK is sleepwalking into a public health disaster with child vaping epidemic: Teenagers hooked on e-cigs reveal how they’ve been left needing INHALERS after being lured in by shops peddling ‘smokeable Fanta’
Britain is ‘sleepwalking’ into a vaping public health crisis, experts have warned after it emerged a generation of children have quietly become hooked on the devices.
Although widely viewed as safer than smoking, the long-term effects remain a mystery and doctors fear there could be a wave of lung disease, dental issues and even cancer in the coming decades in people who took up the habit at a young age.
MailOnline has been told that e-cigarette use is so rife in schools there has been an increase in fire engine callouts because so many pupils are vaping in toilets.
Teenagers told this website they suffer regular coughing fits and have to use inhalers to breathe properly after just a year of regular e-cigarette use. Others say because the devices don’t have any of the nasty drawbacks seen with standard cigarettes — such as a bad smell and after-taste — they can smoke them all day long.
Despite it being illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s, their use has been surging for years.
Shock NHS data released yesterday revealed one in 10 secondary pupils are regular vapers, double the proportion in 2014, and one in five have used them at least once.
Almost every high street in the country now has a designated vape shop and e-cigarettes are sold for as little as £5 in virtually all newsagents. Unlike tobacco, however, the devices don’t need to be hidden behind shutters, despite some containing as much nicotine as a 50 cigarettes.
They are often sold in glossy displays and come in a variety of colours and child-friendly names and flavours, such as bubble-gum, jelly babies and strawberry milkshake.
The marketing of the devices has been linked to alcopops, alcoholic drinks sold in bright neon-colours which are ultra sweet or fruit flavoured. One 18-year-old rugby player in London, who gave up for health reasons, described e-cigarettes as ‘smokeable Fanta’.
Experts claim they are marketed to lure children who would normally be repulsed by the smell of cigarette smoke into a lifetime of addiction.
Today they criticised the Government for failing to clamp down on vape firms.
