YouGov have released a survey that confirms there is no evidence to suggest that using E-cigarettes encourages young people under the age of eighteen to use tobacco products.
The survey was conducted as part of a research effort by Smokefree GB Youth this year, detailing both the use and awareness of traditional tobacco cigarettes and E-cigarettes, and whilst awareness of electronic devices has risen, their usage remains minimal in minors despite around 207,000 children in the UK starting to smoke tobacco each year.
Worries that the presence of E-cigarettes such as MultiCIG in the marketplace and their increasing popularity will result in children that have previously never tried smoking to develop a habit have been proved to be unfounded by the study: Only 4% of the 11-18 year olds asked who had not previously used tobacco products said that they had tried an electronic equivalent, demonstrating that E-cigarette usage in young people is still restricted to those already smoking in the majority of cases.
A discovery that did create a cause for concern amongst the researchers was the increase in the false perception of the detrimental effect of E-cigs. Between 2013 and 2015, the percentage of under eighteens who believe that E-Cigarettes are equally as harmful as their tobacco counterparts has increased from 11% to 21%.
MultiCIG fully supports the legislation banning the purchase of tobacco products, including E-Cigarettes by and for young people under the age of 18.
