‘Not as cool as it used to be’: Youth vaping rate plummets

A recent survey conducted on over 30,000 Year 10 students in New Zealand has shown a shift in the perception of vaping among teenagers.

The study revealed that the number of teenagers who vaped regularly, defined as once a month or more, had tripled between 2019 and 2021, reaching a peak of 20.2 percent. However, the latest survey by Action on Smoking and Health found that this number has now halved.

Emeritus Professor Robert Beaglehole, the chairperson, noted that “vaping is not as cool as it used to be.” The percentage of teenagers vaping on a daily basis has also decreased to 7.1 percent, down from the peak of 10.1 percent in 2022. Beaglehole added that fewer than a third of teenagers had ever tried vaping, which he described as “great news.”

Beaglehole attributed the decline in vaping rates to regulations that were implemented, such as the ban on the sale of vaping products to those under 18 in 2020. He emphasized that vaping can help adult smokers quit and is significantly less harmful than smoking.

He commended New Zealand for moving towards a smoke-free generation, with only about 1 percent of young people smoking on a daily basis since 2021. Beaglehole highlighted the success in reducing youth smoking and the ongoing decline in vaping rates.

However, Associate Professor Andrew Waa from Otago University expressed concerns that teenagers might be turning to oral nicotine products instead of vaping. He suggested shifting the focus towards a nicotine-free future for young people.

Beaglehole urged for more efforts to address the vaping rates among rangatahi Māori, noting that although there has been a decrease in the past year, 16.5 percent of Māori teenagers still vape daily. Waa emphasized that vaping products are too accessible for young Māori and Pacific individuals, leading to preventable health inequities.