AS VAPING rates among South African teens reach alarming heights, public health researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) are calling on the government to swiftly enact the Tobacco Products & Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill.

This legislation aims to regulate vaping products and protect South African youth from a burgeoning nicotine addiction crisis that could escalate into a national epidemic.

This urgent appeal follows the release of a groundbreaking study — the largest of its kind in South Africa — conducted by UCT researchers in collaboration with Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Published in The Lancet’s eClinical Medicine, the study surveyed 25,000 pupils from 52 fee-paying high schools nationwide, uncovering troubling trends related to adolescent vaping.

“In South Africa, where tobacco control has made strides, the rapid rise in vaping among adolescents is a new public health challenge,” said Samantha Filby, co-author of the study and a researcher at UCT’s School of Economics.

“We wanted to quantify the burden and were driven by global alarm bells, like the World Health Organization’s 2023 warning about e-cigarette promotion targeting the youth.”

Teen vaping by the numbers

The study reveals a startling picture of teen vaping in South Africa, filling a critical knowledge gap:

Nearly 17% of surveyed learners are current vape users.

Among them, 38.3% vape daily.

Over 50% vape more than four days a week.

Alarmingly, 88% of current users reported using products containing nicotine.

The study also investigated addiction signs, revealing that 47% of teen vapers use their devices within an hour of waking, a significant indicator of dependence.

Additionally, 11.8% stated they could not get through the school day without vaping, and 24.9% admitted feeling anxious or angry if unable to vape for a prolonged period.

Filby noted, “We constructed a novel vape dependence score that shows 60% of adolescent vapers exhibit high vape dependence. This underscores vaping as a significant addiction for a large portion of young users and highlights the urgent need to strengthen prevention efforts.”

A new kind of epidemic

Professor Richard van Zyl-Smit, lead author of the study, emphasised that the scale of nicotine dependence observed is unprecedented compared to traditional cigarette use among teens.

“The extent of use and dependence on nicotine is something researchers had never encountered with traditional cigarettes in the past,” he said.

Tackling the “Dangerous” myth of safe vaping

To combat this crisis, UCT researchers suggest that education must begin early.

“Addressing the current crisis is possible with the right interventions; it all starts with debunking the dangerous myth that vaping is safe,” Filby stated.

She advocated for comprehensive education about the harms of vaping from primary school level, alongside tailored psychosocial support for those already addicted.

However, Filby cautioned that education alone is insufficient.

“What we need is regulation — to ban ads targeting youth and enforce age limits to reduce appeal and access,” she said.

The accessibility of vape products, often available through popular delivery apps like Checkers Sixty60 and UberEats, intensifies the challenge.

The proposed bill includes restrictions on vape marketing, which could help demystify vaping and reduce its glamourisation among youth.

A whole-community response needed

The researchers stress the importance of engaging schools, parents, and healthcare professionals in this fight against teen vaping.

“We want to ignite action, push lawmakers to regulate vaping, and equip schools, parents, and the public health community with knowledge.

“We need to shift public perception towards the reality that we do have a public health crisis in the making, and we need to address it,” Filby stated.

According to the researchers, parents and educators must be empowered to recognise signs of vaping and understand its underlying drivers, such as peer pressure and mental health struggles.

They concluded by suggesting that healthcare providers should also begin screening for vape use during routine check-ups to guide addicted teens toward recovery support.