Young people are being reminded 'every vape is a hit to your health', as part of a new campaign launched by the NSW Government today.
Developed in consultation with young people and medical experts, the campaign amplifies the voices of people aged 14 - 24 who have experienced the harms of vaping.
The campaign also uses powerful advertisements to encourage young people to consider the proven health harms of vaping, such as nicotine addiction, lung damage, breathlessness, nicotine poisoning and burns from exploding vapes.
It comes as the latest NSW Population Health Survey shows current vaping among people aged 16-24 has significantly increased to 16.5 per cent in 2021-22, up from 4.5 per cent two years prior.
The 'Every vape is a hit to your health' campaign builds on NSW Health's successful 'Do you know what you're vaping?' campaign and Vaping Toolkit, and provides a range of support pathways for young people.
For support and advice about quitting vaping young people are encouraged to contact their general practitioner, download a quit vaping app, or call Quitline on 13 78 48.
The NSW Government is committed to addressing the growing issue of vaping through ongoing collaboration with our Commonwealth and State counterparts, including contributing to the National Vaping Working Group established by the Federal Government in November 2023.
In 2023-24, the NSW Ministry of Health will invest $25 million on tobacco and e-cigarette control in NSW. This includes an investment by Cancer Institute NSW of more than $3 million in the new vaping campaign.
An additional $2.5 million is also being invested over the next 12 months to increase services to help young people quit vaping, including a new digital platform, enhancements to the iCanQuit platform and an online learning module for youth services across the state.
This comes after the NSW Government convened a roundtable last year to address the growing issue of vaping in schools.
Since then the NSW Department of Education is continuing to update the curriculum resources so they better address the dangers of vaping.
An online training module for school staff is also being created to have conversations with students, and webinar resources will soon be available for parents and carers.
For more information on the 'Every vape is a hit to your health' campaign, developed by Cancer Institute NSW, visit: https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/vaping
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
"Vaping is a serious issue and it is having a significant impact on students and young people.
"It is important that as we work together to tackle the scourge of vaping, we lead with an evidenced-based approach, and bring the experiences of young people to the forefront.
"This is part of our strategy to tackle vaping, particularly addressing the impact on young people."
Minister for Health Ryan Park said:
"We are listening to the concerns of young people when it comes to vaping. By putting their stories and experiences at the forefront of this campaign, we can encourage more young people to seek support.
"This is very important because we know regular nicotine consumption can cause changes to a young person's brain development, learning and memory, and may worsen stress, depression and anxiety.
"I want to thank the young people who have come forward to share their stories and their experiences in grappling with vaping, in the hope that they can help others.
"It took us over three quarters of a century to reduce smoking among men from around 72 per cent to 14 per cent.
"We have an opportunity to stem the tide of another emerging public health crisis that could have a lasting impact for generations of young people to come."
Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of Cancer Institute NSW Professor Tracey O'Brien said:
"Vapes can be highly addictive, with many vapes containing even higher levels of nicotine than cigarettes. Even vapes labelled as nicotine-free often contain this highly addictive substance.
"Not only are vapes full of harmful chemicals that have been known to cause cancer, there is also growing evidence that non-smokers who vape are more likely to take up smoking, which can significantly increase their cancer risk.
"We are very concerned that a new generation of people will become addicted to smoking if vaping use continues to increase in young people."
