Changing vape packaging could prevent children picking up the habit, according to experts
A government consultation into measures like restrictions on flavour descriptions and changing devices from colourful to plain closes today.
Introducing plain packaging for vapes, changing the appearance of the devices and putting restrictions on shop displays could prevent thousands of children from taking up vaping, estimates suggest.
In July, ministers announced a raft of measures to “crack down on vapes targeting kids” including plain packaging; plain devices; restrictions on flavour descriptions and keeping vapes out of sight in shops.
Data from anti-smoking charity ASH found 19% of 11-17 year olds have tried vaping at least once.
The consultation on the proposals closes today.
A series of impact assessments on the proposed measures have been published by the Government.
One impact assessment document considers the Government’s plan to introduce restrictions on displaying vaping products and other tobacco products in shops in England.
While larger stores have voluntarily moved display units behind sales counters, vape and nicotine products “remain prominently on display across the UK”, particularly in small shops, the authors said.
Experts examined how the policy could impact children’s exposure to such products and the subsequent impact on experimentation.
More than half a million fewer children aged 11 to 17 would be exposed to vapes if the Government’s proposed display restrictions were put in place, estimates suggest.
Hundreds of thousands of children in this age bracket would also not be exposed to heated tobacco products or nicotine pouches while in shops, estimates suggest.
There have been growing concerns about the number of children using nicotine pouches – a 2025 report by the teachers’ union NASUWT found 13% of 4,000 teachers reported their pupils using nicotine pouches during school time.
On experimentation, the authors of the Government impact assessment document estimate that restrictions on displays could lead to 38,000 fewer children will try vaping as a result.
The Government has also set out plans for vapes to be sold in plain white packaging along with the restriction of flavour names
The impact assessment states there there is a lack of data specifically on plain packaging for vapes so analysists drew on information from standardised packaging for cigarettes.
“The impact assessment on standardised packaging of tobacco estimated an 11% reduction in the prevalence of ever smoking as a result of restrictions on tobacco packaging,” they wrote.
“If this effect were applied to vaping, and using the 25% prevalence of ever vaping among 11-to-15-year-olds… the prevalence could potentially decrease to 22%.”
Researchers acknowledge that vaping restrictions could also reduce the number of smokers willing to use vapes to quit smoking, but they add: “However, using packaging as an example, preliminary evidence from recent studies, suggests that changes to packaging are unlikely to impact adults’ appeal.”
Leading children’s doctors from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have called on the Government to go further than the current proposals and limit the types of flavours available, not just their descriptions.
Another measure proposed by the Government includes for the vape devices themselves to be black, white or grey. Heated tobacco products should be mandated to be made in a “dissuasive colour, likely pantone 448C”, it has been suggested.
The authors of a separate impact assessment highlight previous research which “supports a potential reduction in the number of people being interested in trying a standardised (white) vape, compared to a branded (coloured) vape”.
England’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, has said in the past that marketing vapes to children is “utterly unacceptable”.