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‘I've had cases of children who’ve got rotting teeth because they're falling to sleep with their vapes in their mouth’

The Children’s Commissioner for England on why she supports a ban on disposable vapes.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced last week that disposable vapes are set to be banned as part of a larger plan to tackle the rising number of children taking up vaping.

The Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza told Emma Barnett on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour why she supports the Government's move.

Having seen children as young as eight or nine experiencing health issues after using them, including children with rotting teeth and bronchial and respiratory problems, she told Emma that she ‘cannot see another way’ to tackle the problem.

She stressed that the ban needs to be well executed by the government for it to work, but that she believes there is a strong will among head teachers and professionals to implement it.

Dame Rachel also warned of the risk of vapes being used to exploit vulnerable children, after a ´óÏó´«Ã½ investigation uncovered evidence that vapes are being used to groom them into sexual or criminal exploitation.

You can listen to the full interview on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sounds – it’s the Woman’s Hour episode from 8 February.

Release date:

Duration:

1 minute