Tory MP Caroline Johnson says eight children from Sleaford school fell ill after vaping
Eight children from a secondary school needed hospital treatment after using electronic cigarettes, an MP has said.
Conservative Dr Caroline Johnson said the children, all from a school in her constituency, were admitted to hospital "at different times over the last few months".
She said vaping products were too accessible for youngsters.
In February, Dr Johnson presented a ten-minute rule Bill to ban the sale of disposable vapes. She will lead a Westminster Hall debate on the topic on Thursday.
Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the debate, the Sleaford and North Hykeham MP said: "A number of children in my constituency have collapsed after vaping and my understanding from the local school is that now eight children from one school in my constituency have required hospital treatment.
"Not all at the same time, at different times over the last few months, just immediately after they had been vaping.
"These are secondary school aged children.”
Dr Johnson said a concerning picture also emerged regarding the growing addiction to vaping among children after talking to a teacher.
She said: "I was talking to a teacher from my constituency just recently who said that she has pupils in her school who are struggling to get through a double maths lesson because they need to go out and vape.
"They are vaping in their school bathrooms in between lessons. Some of them are struggling with a whole night’s sleep because they’re waking up desperate to have a vape, and so the degree to which some of our children are getting addicted to these things is really very concerning."
Her comments come after the headteacher at St George's Academy, in Dr Johnson's constituency, told a committee of MPs of her problems in tackling youth vaping.
Laranya Caslin told the Health and Social Care Committee some students made excuses to leave lessons to go to the toilet to vape.
Dr Johnson said the aim of her debate on Thursday would be to put pressure on the Government to take action.
She wants a vape tax to and stricter regulations around the sale of vaping products.
She said: “The disposable vapes are the most attractive to children. A recent report published in May show that three-quarters of children who are using vapes are using disposables.
"They are cheap, they are easily accessible. They are easy to dispose of, if you are in danger of being caught using them by an adult. They are also in pretty colours and there’s a whole range of child-friendly sort of flavours."
In May, ministers pledged to close a loophole allowing retailers to give free samples of vapes to children in England amid concerns over the proportion of children trying e-cigarettes.
The Government said there will also be a review into banning retailers selling “nicotine-free” vapes to under-18s and one into the rules on issuing fines to shops that illegally sell vapes to children.
Ministers cited NHS figures from 2021 which showed that 9% of 11–15-year-olds used e-cigarettes, up from 6% in 2018.
The crackdown will also see the health risks of vaping included in relationships, sex and health education lessons, as part of the ongoing Government review of the curriculum.