Mother buys vape for her children to protect them from addiction

(MENAFN) Emma never imagined she’d find herself buying vapes for her own children—but in a desperate effort to manage their addiction, that’s exactly what she’s doing. Feeling it’s the only way to keep her two teenagers safer and reduce the dangerously high nicotine levels they were consuming, she reluctantly stepped in.

“It went against every bone in my body to do that, but they’re addicted,” Emma explains. “It’s not as simple as just telling them to stop – it’s way harder than that.”

Emma believes her son started vaping as early as primary school. For a time, he hid it from her, but by high school, his denials like “that vape’s not mine” lost credibility.

By age 15, he began suffering serious health issues—breathlessness, tonsillitis, and severe pain that once required an ambulance. Paramedics warned that “the incessant vaping could be causing this” and urged him to stop or at least cut back.

That’s when Emma decided to take control. She began buying the vapes herself, aiming to lower their nicotine strength from 20mg to 10mg. “I warned them—if I see them with a device that has more nicotine, I’ll stop buying any altogether.”

Though buying vapes for minors is illegal, Emma feels this was her only option. Purchasing from reputable suppliers means she can avoid illegal or harmful products and control nicotine levels.

Despite the ban on disposable vapes introduced on June 1 to curb youth vaping and environmental harm, Emma says it’s done little to reduce her children’s nicotine intake. Experts worry that fruity flavors and cheap prices continue to attract young people, and some rechargeable vapes are marketed directly at kids—with stickers and accessories that make them appealing.

At a pioneering NHS vaping clinic for children in Liverpool, doctors say parents shouldn’t blame themselves. “They’re battling a huge industry,” says Professor Rachel Isba. Her clinic supports 11-15-year-olds addicted to vaping, many experiencing “micro withdrawals” during school and anxiety triggered by nicotine dependency.

The clinic offers nicotine replacement therapies and helps young people understand how vaping affects their health and finances. While the government’s Tobacco and Vapes bill is progress, more pediatric addiction services are needed.

Other parents, like Dan from Twickenham, see vaping as a gateway to harder drugs. His teenage sons have faced school expulsions linked to cannabis in vapes and nicotine pouch addiction, describing the problem as “never ending.”

The government says it’s cracking down on underage sales with tougher fines and recycling requirements for vape sellers, but families like Emma’s continue to face the difficult challenge of protecting their children amid a growing public health crisis.

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