Rising e-cigarette addiction among children sparks WHO alarm 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sounded a global alarm over what it calls an “alarming new wave” of nicotine addiction, this time driven by the growing use of e-cigarettes among children.

According to the UN health agency, children are now nine times more likely than adults to vape in countries where data is available. The organisation said tobacco companies are aggressively marketing e-cigarettes as “less harmful” alternatives, while in reality, they are hooking a new generation on nicotine.

More than 100 million people around the world now use e-cigarettes, according to WHO’s first-ever global estimate, which includes at least 86 million adults and 15 million children aged 13 to 15.

“E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction,” said Etienne Krug, WHO Director of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention. “They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.”

Despite global tobacco use dropping from 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, WHO says the tobacco industry is fighting back with “new nicotine products” targeted at youth audiences through flashy packaging, flavours, and digital marketing.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that governments must move quickly to close regulatory gaps.

“Millions are stopping or avoiding tobacco use thanks to control efforts,” he said. “But the industry is fighting back with new products that threaten to undo years of progress. Governments must act faster and stronger.”

WHO’s Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, said smoking and vaping-related harms remain severe, noting that smoking kills over seven million people annually, while second-hand smoke claims more than one million lives.

He added that smoking damages “every single part of the body” and described smoking indoors around children as “irresponsible and unacceptable.”

The WHO report, released Monday, comes amid renewed debates in several countries over regulating vaping products and protecting minors from targeted marketing.