Children as young as 13 are among the one million 11-17 year olds who tried vaping last year, and now the government is moving to strip vapes of the bright colours and sweet flavours it says are luring them in. A 12-week consultation launched on Thursday proposes banning colourful packaging, cartoon images, and any flavour descriptions that evoke sweets or cocktails, restricting labels to simple names like “apple” or “cola”. Health Secretary James Murray said it was clear too many young people were being tempted by “the array of flavours, bright colours and marketing displays”. Under the plans, vapes would also be moved out of sight in shops, mirroring how cigarettes and tobacco are sold. “We must act now to reduce the appeal of addictive vapes to our children,” Murray said, while acknowledging that vapes can help adult smokers quit. “These proposals are about striking the right balance,” he added, urging the public to have their say.
The consultation follows the recent Tobacco and Vapes Act, which created the UK’s first smoke-free generation by banning cigarette sales to anyone born after 1 January 2009. That law also gave ministers power to ban vaping in cars carrying children, in playgrounds, outside schools, and at hospitals. It came after a ban on single-use vapes and ahead of future restrictions on vending machine sales and a planned end to vape advertising and sponsorship. According to the charity Action on Smoking and Health, nearly one in five 11-17 year olds in Great Britain – around one million – reported trying vaping in 2025. NHS staff have reported children as young as 13 admitting they vape.
“Government consultation proposes banning bright colours and sweet flavours on vapes to stop children being attracted to them.”
Health experts say there is “no legitimate reason” for nicotine products to come in neon packaging or use flavours and branding designed to catch a child’s eye. The government’s proposals also include inserts in cigarette packs directing smokers to quit-help services, and extending plain packaging rules to all tobacco products including rolling paper and cigars. Murray stressed that vapes are less harmful than cigarettes and can help adult smokers quit, “but they should never be designed or marketed in ways that tempt children”. Whether the consultation will lead to a full ban on enticing names – or simply stricter controls on how they are presented – remains to be seen. For now, the government is asking for views, and the clock is ticking on a 100-day window for responses.