Three times as many kids in Wales are experimenting with e-cigs than do with tobacco.

Three times as many children aged between 10 and 11 years old are experiment with e-cigarettes than have used tobacco a new study has revealed

The findings show 6% of 10 to 11-year-old children report having used an e-cigarette, compared with 2% who report having smoked a tobacco cigarette. The vast majority of children who said they had used an e-cigarette had never smoked a tobacco cigarette.

Key findings from the report include:

• E-cigarette use appears to represent a new form of childhood experimentation with nicotine – more 10 and 11-year-olds have said they have tried e-cigarettes than cigarettes containing tobacco
• Overall, 6% of children report having ever used an e-cigarette, compared with 2% who reported having ever smoked a tobacco cigarette
• The vast majority of those children who reported having used an e-cigarette had never smoked a tobacco cigarette
• E-cigarette use is more common among children whose parents smoke. Among children whose parents smoked, 8% report having used an e cigarette, compared to 3% of those whose parents did not.
• Among non-smoking children who reported having used an e cigarette, 14% reported that they might start smoking within the next two years, compared to 2% of those who had not used an e cigarette.
• While few children said that they will smoke within two years, children who had used an e-cigarette were substantially less likely to say that they definitely will not smoke, and more likely to say that they might.

The Welsh Government put forward proposals in the Public Health White Paper to restrict the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public places, bringing them into line with current laws on conventional cigarettes.

Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford said:

“These latest findings shine further light on the potential impact of e-cigarettes on our children and young people. I am concerned the use of e-cigarettes may act as a gateway to and re-normalise smoking, especially for a generation who have grown up in a largely smoke-free society.

“We are not alone in our concerns – the World Health Organisation and other international bodies have called for greater regulation of e-cigarettes, including restrictions on their use in enclosed public spaces and bans on sales to children and young people.”