Sneaky tricks used to glamourise vaping by e-cig companies and how to get kids off vapes

E-cigarette brands are deliberately targeting young people to use their products. Here’s what they’re doing, what’s illegal and how you can get your child off vapes.

There is no doubt e-cigarette brands are deliberately targeting young people to lure them into using their products – and they’re not even hiding it.

I was approached by a young man in the street and asked to try a vape on camera from a brand he was representing to post on their social media.

And while I politely declined the offer and kept walking, many people cannot always resist, especially when they don’t see any potential harm in it.

This is just one of the many tactics being used by companies to glamorise the use of vapes, and it should come as no surprise.

Watch the video above.

Children and young people are tapping into a readily accessible black market for vapes because of brazen ways vendors are bypassing laws. Picture: iStock

Children and young people are tapping into a readily accessible black market for vapes because of brazen ways vendors are bypassing laws.

It is illegal to buy and sell e-cigarettes, or any e-liquid that contains nicotine, without a doctor’s prescription, or to sell those products to children.

However, since the laws passed in 2021, vapes are just as easy to get hold of as before, regardless of whether or not you have a prescription.

In a matter of minutes, News Corp found a number of sites selling vapes with nicotine that you can purchase without showing any prescription and requiring no age verification.

Even one online Sydney store went as far as offering customers a $20 discount if they leave them a 5-star Google review or give them a “shout out” on Facebook or Instagram – a way that appeals to the younger generation.

People are being invited to write favourable Google reviews for money off vapes. Supplied

What makes up an e-cigarette. Picture: Supplied

That’s despite the advertising and promotion of vaping products being illegal in Australia and no free samples, sponsorship or shopper loyalty programs allowed.

Many tobacconists across Australia are also still selling disposable vapes under the counter while delivery services have sprung up on social media in many cases directly targeting young people.

Retailers have come under fire in the past for selling confectionery and sugary energy drinks alongside fruit-flavoured e-cigarettes as a way to lure children.

Companies are also finding loopholes by labelling e-cigarettes “nicotine-free” despite them containing nicotine.

That means when an enforcement officer searches a store, they don’t know which ones contain nicotine and which ones are legal.

Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram and Health Minister Mark Butler in Sydney where Campaign OBELIA, a joint operation between the ABF and the TGA, which detected more than 35 tonnes of vaping products suspected to contain nicotine. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

Health Minister Mark Butler has said the Albanese government would introduce import control regulation before the end of the year and wanted to ban single use vapes, as well as crack down on vape sellers in “convenience stores and other retail settings”.

This promise is too little too late for a whole generation of kids already hooked on nicotine.

Watch Aderline’s story about how she got hooked below:

VAPING LAWS AND HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD TO QUIT

Is vaping legal?

Vapes which do not contain nicotine are legal, which is why many outlets advertise them. However, it is illegal to buy, possess or use liquid nicotine for vaping without a prescription from a registered Australian medical practitioner. Studies have found most vapes contain nicotine, even when they say they don’t, so it is hard to police.

It is illegal to buy, possess or use liquid nicotine for vaping without a prescription. Studies have found most vapes contain nicotine, even when they say they don’t.

Can I use a vape or e-liquids containing nicotine?

Possession of a vaping product containing nicotine is illegal and carries penalties and fines in all states and territories, with the exception of Tasmania, without a valid prescription provided by a doctor.

Can I ship vape or e-liquids containing nicotine from overseas?

Importing nicotine for personal use from overseas is illegal, unless you have a prescription from a medical practitioner.

What’s the legal age for buying vapes in Australia?

The sale of all e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18 is illegal.

The sale of e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18 is illegal. Picture: iStock

How many people vape?

Three in 10 Australians aged 14-25 years vaped in the last 30 days, while one in 10 vape daily.

How much do vapes cost?

Vapes range in cost but can start from $15 to around $35, and they can contain thousands of puffs.

Can vapes be advertised?

Promotional advertising in retail stores of e-cigarettes is illegal, however, some vape stores are exempt from this law.

Where can’t you vape?

Vaping in indoor and outdoor smoke-free zones is illegal. The use of e-cigarettes in cars carrying children under the age of 16 is illegal.

What’s the difference between hookah and vapes?

E-cigarettes have no tobacco, even though some cartridges have nicotine and some tobacco leaves. Hookah shisha uses tobacco leaves.

What do vapes look and smell like?

Vapes are very easy to hide because they can be as small as a USB stick. They come in a variety of bright colours and flavours attractive to young people, such as chocolate and bubblegum. It can be hard to detect the vapour, although most give off a sweet chemical smell that can linger on clothes and the breath.

Vapes are very easy to hide because they can be as small as a USB stick. They come in a variety of bright colours and flavours attractive to young people. Picture: Supplied

How do vapes change your behaviour?

Most vapes contain nicotine, even if they say they don’t. If your child is a regular user and they don’t have access to a vape, just like a smoker, they may suffer nicotine withdrawal. Symptoms include being irritable, depressed, anxious and having trouble sleeping. They may also start to complain of congestion, cough or wheeze.

What is nic-sick?

It’s when someone consumes too much nicotine which makes them nauseous or vomit.

Watch Croz’s story about his vaping addiction below:

Why do kids vape?

Children have told the Minderoo Foundation that vapes are easy to get hold of. On social media they will have also come across people doing vape tricks and promoting the latest flavours. Some people also get a quick rush or a “headspin” when they vape. They also don’t realise the health dangers.

How can you help your child quit vaping?

Joy weaned herself off vapes. Picture: Uncloud

Psychologist James McLennan, a smoking cessation training co-ordinator based at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney, said parents should take their child to their GP or call Quitline. Their doctor may suggest nicotine patches or other replacement therapies to manage withdrawal symptoms. Cognitive behaviour therapy can also help. Another trick is to tell your child to, “fake it till they make”, and keep away from situations or people who may tempt them to vape. The vast majority of people who quit relapse within the first two weeks. So get through those first two weeks. If you relapse, have another go. Joy, a university student who has joined the anti-vaping campaign, said she weaned herself off by reducing the number of puffs; then she stopped buying vapes and would only have a puff on a friend’s vape if desperate, until she went without entirely.

Quitline: 13 7848

Originally published as Sneaky tricks used to glamourise vaping by e-cig companies and how to get kids off vapes