Allen Carr's Easyway Addiction Clinics Highlight Vaping as the New Health 'Time Bomb' for Kids

PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS "ASLEEP ON THE JOB" AS 77% OF PARENTS CONCERNED ABOUT VAPE BRANDS ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN AND 61% of 18-21 YEAR OLDS WHO VAPE ADMITTING TO UNDERAGE VAPING AS KIDS

26% OF 18-21 OLDS VAPED BEFORE THEY WERE 16 & 61% THAT DO VAPE, DID SO BEFORE THEY WERE 18

LONDON, Dec. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Exclusive research conducted by Allen Carr's Easyway Addiction Clinics highlights that the way vaping brands advertise is a huge issue for parents, with 77% expressing concern about the way children are targeted by e-cigarette/vape industry adverting and rightly so, as 61% of 18-21 year olds who do vape admitting that they vaped underage.

Allen Carr's Easyway Addiction Clinics conducted two separate UK wide polls, via One Poll, the first polling 750 young people aged 18-21, the second 1,000 parents with kids under 18 years old, with research taking place between 16^th - 21^st December 2019.

The consumer poll of 750 young people aged 18-21 highlighted vaping is as much of an issue as smoking, when it comes to forming habits at an early age and addiction:

• On average, 55% had tried or regularly smoked and/or vaped
• 58% of those polled had smoked or tried smoking, whilst a similar 52% had vaped or tried vaping
• 76% of those polled had their first cigarette aged under 18, 14% had already tried smoking by the time they were 13
• 61% of those that vape had done so before their 18^th birthday, with 26% of those having tried vaping by the time they were 15
• Nearly half, 49%, vaped for more than 12 months, whilst 54% were still smoking after 12 months
• 34% are aware of between 4 and 9 different vape flavours
• 55% of those polled claimed up to 20% of their friends vape

In a separate poll of 1,000 parents in the UK:

• 70% are more or equally concerned about the issue of vaping compared to smoking when it comes to their children
• 77% are concerned about the way vaping brands target children in advertising campaigns

John Dicey, Chief Executive of Allen Carr's Easyway addiction clinics comments:

"These research findings show that aggressive marketing from vaping brands is working, with more young people trying vaping and therefore at risk of a life-long, harmful addiction.  Parents are right to be concerned about that the way these highly addictive drugs are being marketed ? not just in traditional adverts in the press and on billboards ? but across social media.

Supporters of Public Health England's policy of embracing vaping have claimed that a vast majority of youth in the UK who have never smoked have either never used e-cigarettes or are unaware of them and I believe this attitude illustrates how some of our public health experts are asleep on the job"

For further information visit www.allencarr.com or call 0800 389 2115.

• Survey conducted by One Poll in December 2019
• John Dicey is available for interview
• Case studies available on request