As vaping retailers, it is our responsibility to ensure products are used responsibly and legally. Yet, since 2023, 1 in 5 children have tried vaping, growing 50% YoY, we have been met with the issue of poor age verification policies.
E-cigarettes are used as a tool to deter smokers from cigarettes, yet when in the hands of children whose organs are still developing, they can pose harm. In essence, there is no need for children to be accessing and using e-cigarettes.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is driving efforts to address underage vaping by enforcing retailers to comply with stricter age verification. If they don’t comply, retailers could be fined up to £2,500.
What we did
We set out to explore the issue of age verification of vapes amongst retailers, address which retailers consistently fail to ask, and see if vapers are aware of the issue of underage vaping. We did this by commissioning a survey of 1,000 e-cigarette users to find out how often they have been asked about age verification and which retailers are the biggest culprits.
Key findings
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45% have never been asked for age verification whilst 55% have.
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Females (60%) are asked for age verification more frequently than males (46%).
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80% of Northern Ireland vapers state they have never been asked for age verification, as opposed to the North East, where 66% are asked.
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48% state they have never been asked to prove their age at major supermarkets.
- 89% believe that vaping retailers need to enforce a stricter policy to deter children from vaping, as opposed to 8% who think they don’t.
How many vapers have been asked to verify their age?
The majority of vapers have been (55%) asked to prove their age at checkout than not (45%), and females (60%) are too, compared to males (46%).
Vaping retailers seem to be cracking down on asking for age verification of those who appear younger, as 92% of Gen Z’s are asked, as opposed to 78% of Baby Boomers who claim they have never been asked.
Does verifying the age of vapers differ across the UK?
80% of vapers in Northern Ireland state they have never been asked for age verification 66% are vapers in the North East are asked.
Belfast, Norwich, and Plymouth are the top cities that fail to ask vapers for ID during purchase whilst Newcastle, Southampton, and Birmingham ask the most.
The 5 UK cities that ask for age verification the least
| Rank | Top 5 UK Cities | % of respondents who say they have never been asked for age verification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast | 80% |
| 2 | Norwich | 65% |
| 3 | Plymouth | 60% |
| 4 | Sheffield | 58% |
| 5 | Bristol | 49% |
*Rounded to the nearest decimal place
The 5 UK cities that ask for age verification the most
| Rank | Top 5 UK Cities | % of respondents who say they have been asked for age verification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle | 64% |
| 2 | Southampton | 62% |
| 3 | Birmingham | 61% |
| 4 | Leeds | 60% |
| 5 | Nottingham | 59% |
*Rounded to the nearest decimal place
Which retailers fail to ask for age verification when purchasing vapes?
Supermarkets pose the worst threat, as 48% of respondents state they have never been asked to prove their age when purchasing a vape.
This is followed by local in-person vape shops and convenience stores, who ask 47% and 41% of vapers during checkout, respectively.
Festival stands are enforcing stricter age verification well, with only 4% of respondents reporting they were not asked for ID, followed by pharmacies (4%).
Convenience stores are the most popular supplier for Gen Z (*42%), Millennials mostly purchase from local in-person vape shops (*55%) whereas Generation X buys from supermarkets (*55%).
*This percentage is the number of respondents who have not been asked for age verification from each supplier, respective of the generation.
Interestingly, 61% claim local in-person vape shops in the North West are not asking for age verification.
| Rank | Vaping Retailer | % of respondents who say they have never been asked for age verification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supermarket | 47.99% |
| 2 | Local in-person vape shop | 46.65% |
| 3 | Convenience store | 40.85% |
| 4 | Service station | 21.43% |
| 5 | Online specialist vaping supplier | 20.09% |
| 6 | Online distributor (i.e Amazon) | 13.84% |
| 7 | Vaping exhibition | 5.36% |
| 8 | Pharmacy | 4.46% |
| 9 | Festival stand | 3.57% |
*Rounded to the nearest decimal place
Do vapers believe there needs to be a stricter policy for selling vapes to children?
89% of vapers believe there needs to be a stricter policy for selling vapes to children, as opposed to 8% who don’t.
Males are slightly less opposed to a stricter policy (86%) than females (91%).
Norwich locals are the most opposed to a stricter vaping policy, with 15% being against it, as opposed to 0% of Belfast respondents who are against it, despite Belfast being the worst city in the UK for asking vapers for ID.
Methodology
Vape Superstore surveyed 1,000 e-cigarette users to uncover how they feel about age verification of e-cigarette products and the selling and distribution towards minors. Data correct as of September 2024.
Full data available on request.
| Generation | Age Group |
|---|---|
| Generation Z ‘Gen Z’ | 18-26 yr |
| Generation Y ‘Millennials’ | 27-42 yr |
| Generation X | 43-58 yr |
| Baby Boomers | 59-77 yr |
| Silent Generation | 78 yr+ |
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