More children and young people are regularly using e-cigarettes. Seven percent of almost 15,000 nine to 17-year-olds surveyed said they consumed this nicotine-containing product at least once a month, according to the prevention radar of the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit. In the previous year the value was less than five percent (2016: 3.9 percent).
According to the data, in 2023, for the first time since the survey series began in 2016, more students regularly used e-cigarettes than conventional cigarettes or shisha. The proportion of young people who smoked conventional cigarettes hardly changed compared to the previous year. The fund sees Germany’s goal of becoming a smoke-free society by 2040 at risk and is calling for a nationwide ban on disposable e-cigarettes.
For the prevention radar, the Institute for Therapy and Health Research (IFT-Nord) in Kiel has surveyed almost 60,000 boys and girls about their smoking behavior since 2016. They were on average 13 years old and came from 14 federal states.
Tempting taste of mango or raspberry
Electronic cigarettes are more effective at delivering nicotine than other products, emphasized the DAK. “For children and young people, the e-cigarette is now the most important gateway drug to nicotine addiction,” said DAK CEO Andreas Storm, according to the statement. “It increases the risk of regular consumption of classic cigarettes in adulthood – with the known high risk of cancer.”
According to the DAK, flavorings make the products particularly attractive to students. “Anything that tastes like mango or raspberry is particularly tempting for children and young people,” explained Storm. In addition, the disposable version of e-cigarettes attracts younger groups of buyers with its relatively low price. “Disposable vapes are sweet poison for pocket money for school children and should be banned as quickly as possible,” demanded Storm.
Hildegard Kaulen Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 11 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Marie Lisa Kehler Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 9
The Association of the E-Cigarette Trade (VdeH) considers a ban to be counterproductive: “Teenagers like to test things out, especially when they are banned. But it usually stays that way, with an experimental trial consumption,” said VdeH managing director Oliver Pohland to the German Press Agency. There is no need for new restrictions, but rather consistent controls by the authorities, especially in kiosks. The distribution of e-cigarettes to people under 18 is prohibited in Germany. Pohland also contradicted the theory that e-cigarettes introduced young people to conventional cigarettes.
“E-cigarettes containing nicotine are addictive and harmful to health; in no case are they “healthy alternatives to smoking”,” DAK-Gesundheit quoted the President of the German Society for Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine (DGP), Wolfram Windisch. Compared to conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are probably less harmful to health overall, writes the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA). “However, health risks cannot be ruled out, especially with long-term use.”