86% of Hong Kong Teens Use Vaping Devices, Situation Raises Concern

According to a report by Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily on the 29th, a study from the University of Hong Kong shows that the proportion of teenagers aged 25 or younger using new tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco has reached a record high of 85.9% from 2019 to 2020, an increase of 13 percentage points from the previous year, marking the third consecutive year of increase, which is concerning.

The “University of Hong Kong Youth Smoking Cessation Hotline” survey shows that 51.3% of the surveyed teenagers indicated that their primary reason for using new tobacco products is curiosity, followed by peer influence (37.3%), and the hope to use new tobacco products to quit smoking or reduce cigarette consumption (21.6%). Respondents generally believe that new tobacco products are “healthier” than traditional tobacco products, mistakenly thinking they can help quit smoking, which has the opposite effect, inadvertently encouraging them to use more new tobacco products. Additionally, respondents indicated that they are attracted by the diverse online promotions, trendy packaging, and designs, and friends often recommend and share with each other.

The regulation of traditional paper tobacco in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan is very strict, but electronic cigarettes, as a “new phenomenon” that has emerged in recent years, have remained in a gray area. In October 2018, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced in her second policy address that Hong Kong would fully ban electronic cigarettes. The Hong Kong government subsequently formally submitted a draft to the Legislative Council, proposing to ban the import, manufacture, sale, distribution, and promotion of electronic cigarettes or heated tobacco products, with a penalty of HKD 50,000 and six months imprisonment upon conviction. The medical community in Hong Kong believes that electronic cigarettes, like traditional cigarettes, contain nicotine, various heavy metals, and formaldehyde, which are potentially harmful compounds that seriously endanger health. However, the public generally misunderstands their existence, underestimating the impact of electronic cigarettes on health, while mistakenly believing that electronic cigarettes help with smoking cessation. However, the electronic cigarette ban has faced opposition and resistance from many Hong Kong legislators and some groups, who argue that the research data cited in the legislation is inaccurate and that the subjects of the studies are outdated “simulation cigarette-type” electronic cigarette devices, rather than the mainstream products currently on the market. After prolonged struggles, the Legislative Council's smoking bill committee announced in June last year that it would cease discussions on the ban, temporarily abandoning plans to prohibit new tobacco and vapor electronic cigarette products.

Professor Lin Daqing, a chair professor at the University of Hong Kong's medical school, stated that the latest survey results highlight the urgent need for immediate action, urging the Legislative Council to quickly pass the government's draft concerning a comprehensive ban on new tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.