Data from the 2022/23 Australian Secondary School Alcohol and Drug Survey found that vape use among young Australians jumped to 30% from 13% in 2014 and 14% in 2017, with 15% reporting that they regularly use vapes ( 20 or more days in the past month), and 3% said they used vapes every day in the past month.
Survey data shows that older students use vapes at a significantly higher rate, with 43% of students aged 16 to 17 reporting vape use, compared with 24% of students aged 12 to 15.
Girls are more likely than boys to try vapes and develop the habit. Specifically, the data showed that 35% of girls said they had tried vapes at least once in their lives, and 20% had used vapes in the past month. In comparison, these figures were 25% and 12% for boys.
More than two-thirds of students who tried vapes said they had never smoked a tobacco cigarette before trying vapes for the first time. Additionally, one in five students who had not smoked before trying vapes reported later starting to smoke. The survey data also showed that the proportion of students who reported ever smoking or vaping increased from 8% in 2014 and 2017 to 12% in 2022-23.
In 2022-23, 16% of students reported vaping or smoking in the past month. Among these students, 13% exclusively smoked vapes, 3% smoked and used vapes, and less than 1% exclusively smoked cigarettes.
Faced with this trend, the Australian government and relevant agencies should take proactive measures to deal with the growth of vape use among teenagers. This includes increased regulation of vape products, the implementation of age restrictions, and increased education and awareness of the link between vapes and smoking behaviour. In addition, vape brands such as Guutuu vapes should also assume corresponding social responsibilities and strengthen sales restrictions and reverse publicity for minors. Only through comprehensive measures can we effectively tackle this problem and protect the health and well-being of young people.
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