More teenagers vaping; Decrease among young adults

More teenagers in the Netherlands vaped at least once last year, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) revealed in figures from its National Youth Monitor. The number of young adult vapers decreased after years of increase.

Last year, 7.6 percent of children aged 12 to 18 said that they had used an e-cigarette, compared to 6.1 percent a year earlier. The number of children who smoked tobacco cigarettes also increased slightly.

Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the proportion of vapers decreased from 13 percent in 2023 to 8.6 percent last year. The percentage of tobacco smokers in this age group also decreased, from 25.8 to 23.7 percent.

The Netherlands banned flavored vapes on 1 January 2024, hoping to make vaping less attractive, especially among children and young people. But an illegal trade for flavored vapes and refills quickly emerged.

In the first four months of this year, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) seized 185,000 illegal vapes. Last week, the authority seized 70,000 bottles of flavors from one importer in Gelderland.