Young girls in the UK drinking, smoking and vaping more than boys

Girls in the UK are drinking, smoking and vaping more than boys, while England is "top of the charts" globally for child alcohol use, a major report has found.

In one of the largest studies of its kind, the World Health Organisation (WHO) examined data from 280,000 children aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries who were asked about their use of cigarettes, vapes and alcohol.

The research covered youngsters living in Europe, Central Asia and Canada, and included more than 4,000 children in England, some 4,000 in Scotland and children in Welsh schools.

It reveals that two-fifths of girls in England and Scotland have vaped by the age of 15 - higher than in other countries such as France, Austria, Germany, Albania, Spain, Canada, and Norway.

The UK seems to have more of an issue with under-age vaping than many other countries, with girls in the UK more likely to have used a vape by the age of 15 than the average for all 44 countries in the study. Vaping has overtaken smoking.

In terms of alcohol consumption, children aged 11 and 13 in England are the most likely to have ever drunk alcohol compared with youngsters in all the other countries surveyed.

At the age of 11, England tops the global chart, with 34% of girls and 35% of boys saying they have drunk alcohol.

By 13, some 57% of girls and 50% of boys in England have drunk alcohol – again topping the global chart.

Children in Scotland and Wales are also more likely to have ever smoked cannabis than those in many other countries.

Both countries are in the top five globally. Data shows that 15-year-old boys in Scotland (23%) have the highest rates overall for boys. Only girls in Canada score higher (25%).

Dr Jo Inchley, international co-ordinator for the study, called Health Behaviour In School-Aged Children, and from the University of Glasgow, suggested some of the UK data is concerning.

She said: “Vaping in the UK is higher than the average across all the countries that took part in the survey as a whole.

“I guess that’s a little bit concerning, and we’ve certainly seen quite marked increases in vaping in Scotland over the last four years… lifetime use of e-cigarettes has more than doubled in Scotland since 2018.

“So there’s two areas for concern. One is that our levels are higher than elsewhere in Europe and, secondly, it looks like the trends are worsening quite substantially over a relatively short period of time in the UK.”

Dr Inchley said one driver of increasing vape use may be their availability and low cost.

“Disposable vapes seem to be fairly readily accessible to young people and schools are reporting that that’s a major issue that they’re having to deal with on a day-to-day basis. Young people are telling us that too.

“Having ready access to any kind of substance like that obviously makes it more attractive and available, so that is a big issue.

“Some of the policy responses we’re seeing now from governments across the UK is really positive in that respect, because we do need to address the issue of availability and accessibility.”

Dr Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said the widespread use of harmful substances among children “is a serious public health threat”.

He added: “Considering that the brain continues to develop well into a person’s mid-20s, adolescents need to be protected from the effects of toxic and dangerous products.

“Unfortunately, children today are constantly exposed to targeted online marketing of harmful products, while popular culture, like video games, normalises them.”

A government spokesman said: “The health advice is clear – smoking, vaping and underage drinking can be damaging for young people and their development. That is why there are age restrictions on the sale of these products.

“As a government, we are creating the UK’s first smokefree generation. Our landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will make it an offence to sell tobacco products to anyone born after 1 January 2009 and includes powers to limit flavours, packaging and displays of vapes to reduce the appeal to children.”

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