The term “epidemic” has often been used to describe vaping among young people, particularly in media coverage. However, the available evidence does not support such a broad characterisation.
Some young people experiment with vaping, but experimentation should be distinguished from regular or daily use. Most young people do not vape, and regular vaping is considerably less common than ever having tried an e-cigarette.
Youth vaping should continue to be monitored, and measures should be taken to prevent access to nicotine products by minors. At the same time, it is important that concerns about youth use are based on evidence and put into context, including trends in youth smoking and the frequency of vaping among those who have never smoked.
It is unsurprising that some teenagers have experimented with vaping. But "experimentation" does seem to be the important word. Adolescence is a time for experimentation in all its facets and e-cigarettes / vaping products are no exception.
In fact, the statistics show that of the small number who do say that they have tried vaping, most are only occasional or irregular vapers. The numbers of daily vapers among this group is very small. The number of young people who vape who have never smoked is even smaller.