Experts in Ireland now warn that E-cigarette marketers are now using social media to reach out to the country’s youth. These marketers are selling cheap disposable vapes with youth-appealing names such as Elf bar. These products packaged in colourful packages are marketed on social media as safe and fun to use products. The problem with this is that the e-cigarettes in question contain nicotine which is known to have detrimental health effects on the minds of teenagers and children.
The cheap disposable E-cigarettes have only been allowed on the Irish market for one year. However, many of these disposable vapes on the market contain higher than average amounts of nicotine. Â This is dangerous for teenagers as nicotine is highly addictive. In addition, nicotine has been found to affect the development of the brain.
“We don’t have any data on the use of disposable vapes in Ireland. We do know they are available for purchase throughout Ireland in retail outlets and are being heavily marketed to teens,” the Crumlin Hospital’s head of the respiratory department Professor Des Cox, said.
He further explains that this is not news as there has been a  rapid growth in the number of teens using vaping products in the UK in the past few years. He points to a recent study which showed a 50% rise in the number of 16–17-year-old Irish youth using vaping products between 2015 and 2019.  He argues that many other studies have shown that vaping can have devastating effects on both the heart and the lungs of users.
Professor Cox who is also the Royal College of Physicians policy group on tobacco chairperson points out that “teenagers who vape have a four-fold increased risk of taking up smoking.” He wants Irish youth to be discouraged from using any form of e-cigarettes.
Experts also believe that the disposable vaping products now marketed on social media are harmful to the environment. Their plastic covering and their lithium batteries pollute the environment. Â The problem is that social media is making these products even more prevalent in the country. According to an Ash UK survey, many teens who have recently tried e-cigarettes were influenced by TikTok videos.
The Vape Business Ireland (VBI) the umbrella body for e-cigarette producers and marketers through their spokeswoman says that their umbrella body has been calling for the law limiting the sale of vaping products to individuals under 18 years since 2015. However, she is quick to point out that disposable vaping products have only been allowed in Ireland for a year.
She says that these disposable products are only popular because they are less expensive and thus the best alternative for adult smokers trying to quit the habit. Â These products, therefore, play a crucial role in helping adult ex-smokers give up smoking.
She says that while manufacturers and most marketers are not intentionally targeting the youth, she regrates that the government is slow in passing the right legislation to safeguard the kids.
“Our association has made clear that vaping products should only be accessible to adult ex-smokers and our members abide by a stringent code of conduct. VBI is hopeful that a ban on the sale to under-18s as outlined in the General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products Bill) will be enacted as soon as possible,” she said.
