Is your child secretly vaping? Experts reveals common hiding spots

"While it remains illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy e-cigarettes in the UK, this often doesn't stop them getting their hands on these products. Children who regularly vape are three times more likely to become smokers later in life, reports suggest, while studies have linked the habit to respiratory illness and substance abuse. Meanwhile data from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) indicates vaping has tripled among children since 2021."

"A team from Provape analysed 50 TikTok videos and found the most common piece of advice is to hide your vape inside or in-between unused clothes. Hiding small items behind paintings, canvases and posters was the second most common location, with videos often suggesting taping the item to the inside of a wall canvas frame to use the dead space. Placing items inside a pillow or pillowcase ranked third, followed by hiding them in or around bedroom drawers - often taped to the inside."

"Stashing vapes under mattresses or bed frames was also mentioned in a fifth of videos, with users tucking items between the mattress and bed frame slats. TikTok users also suggested hiding vapes inside stuffed toys, glasses cases, jewellery boxes or empty skincare and perfume bottles. Other hiding spots included inside plants or fake books, taped behind fixtures like ceiling fans or TVs, and in hollow hairbrushes - some even designed specifically to store vapes."

Vaping among UK children has tripled since 2021 according to DHSC data. E-cigarettes remain illegal for under-18s, yet access persists. Regular teenage vaping is associated with a threefold increased risk of later smoking and with respiratory illness and substance abuse. Analysis of TikTok content identified frequent concealment tactics including hiding vapes inside or between unused clothes, taped behind paintings or canvases, within pillows or drawers, under mattress slats, and inside stuffed toys, glasses cases, jewellery boxes, empty skincare bottles, plants, fake books, or hollow hairbrushes. Searching a child's room is generally not recommended as a primary response.

Read at Mail Online