What is the legal age to vape in the UK 2023?

Vaping has become the most popular and successful way to stop smoking and is backed by public health authorities in the UK as a safer alternative to inhaling burnt tobacco products. Unfortunately, the surge in the popularity of disposables has led to concerns about their appeal to underage users particularly due to their colourful designs and appealing fruit and candy options.

Nicotine is highly addictive and the purpose of vaping is to allow smokers to switch to a less harmful alternative. There are laws that guide the sale of vaping products and they have been put in place to prevent young people from getting addicted to nicotine and protect their health.

Yes, it is, in the UK you must be 18 years or older to purchase and use vaping products. The sale of any e-cigarettes, e-liquids or heated tobacco products, regardless of whether they contain nicotine or not, to people under 18 years is illegal and retailers that are caught doing so can face a hefty fine and have their licenses revoked.

It is also illegal for adults to buy vaping and heated tobacco products for minors and a person who attempts to purchase a vape for someone underage can face a fine of up to £90.

All vape products, whether they contain nicotine or not are illegal for sale to and use by people under the age of 18. This includes vaping accessories such as coils, tanks and any 0% or zero nicotine disposables and nicotine-free shortfill bottles.

ASH (Action on Smoking & Health) monitor the use and prevalence of smoking and vaping within the UK. Their latest survey as of 2022 shows that:

• 88.8% of 11-17 in the UK have never tried vaping.

• 15.8% of 11 to 18 years olds who have tried smoking have also tried vaping compared with 11.2% in 2021.

According to the ASH-Youth Survey of 2022, disposable vapes are the most popular vape device among 11-17-year-olds with 52% saying that they have tried or regularly used a disposable vape.

The concern is that the colourful packaging and range of fruit and candy flavours are seen as appealing to young people due to the association when displayed in shops next to sweets and chocolates.

The survey also shows that 46.5% of young people are getting their vapes from shops, while 43% say that they were given them.

It is a legal requirement for any vape shop or online retailer to ask the customer to provide identification proving they are 18 years or older. Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to £2500 or imprisonment.

Shops

Acceptable forms of identification are a photo ID such as a driver's license, passport or citizens card. Bricks & mortar retailers cannot accept mobile phone photos of identification and you must bring a valid document with you.

It is also illegal to ask an adult to go into a shop and buy a vape for you, and both you and the adult who attempts this will be breaking the law and can face a fine or imprisonment.

Online

Retailers conduct age verification by requesting your full name, date of birth and billing address, this is then cross-referenced with your card payment details and verified by a third party with the consent of the customer.

The bottom line is that if you cannot provide a valid form of identification then the retailer is legally bound not to sell you any vaping products and any purchase that you make online that does not pass age verification will be cancelled.

How does E-Liquids Superstore verify age?

Here at ELS we request that you enter your full name, address and date of birth when creating an account or signing in as a guest. We then use a leading credit reference agency to verify your ID. This is purely to verify your age and is not a credit check and so will not affect your credit score in any way.

It is a criminal offence in the UK for a minor to be in possession of any vaping products and if caught can result in any one of the following:

1. Any vaping-related devices and accessories can be confiscated by the police.

2. Depending on where they were caught using the device, the minor may receive a warning from the police or their school and their parents will be informed.

3. The police can issue a fine of up to £80.

4. The offending minor may be reported to guidance officers for counselling.

Sources:

ASH Survey - https://ash.org.uk/uploads/Use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-Great-Britain-2022.pdf