September 22, 2026 - 180 views
The number of secondary school pupils regularly vaping in Wales has fallen for the first time in six years, with North Wales schools continuing efforts to tackle the use of nicotine products.
New figures from Public Health Wales show 5.2 per cent of pupils in Years 7 to 11 reported vaping at least once a week in 2025.
That is down from seven per cent in 2023 and represents around 3,200 fewer young people regularly vaping.
The survey is based on responses from more than 130,000 secondary school pupils across Wales, making it one of the largest sources of information about young people's health and behaviour in the country.
The fall is particularly significant because vaping among teenagers had been rising for several years. The 2023 survey found that more than one in four pupils had tried vaping at least once, while seven per cent were regular users.
The latest figures show regular vaping has fallen among every school year and among both boys and girls.
Girls remain more likely to report regular vaping, at 6.6 per cent compared with 3.7 per cent of boys, although both figures have fallen since 2023.
Among Year 11 pupils, who are the most likely to report vaping, the rate has dropped from 15.9 per cent to 12.8 per cent.
The figures also show a fall among younger pupils. Just 0.6 per cent of Year 7 pupils reported vaping at least weekly, compared with 0.8 per cent in 2023.
There is a particular North Wales context to the issue.
Flintshire has previously recorded relatively high levels of young people reporting that they had tried e-cigarettes. Council data from the 2021 SHRN survey showed 23.1 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds in the county had tried e-cigarettes.
The council subsequently introduced measures including a model smoke-free policy for schools, training for school staff and work with Public Health Wales and ASH Wales on vaping education. In 2023/24, seven Flintshire secondary schools were identified as eligible for a targeted smoking prevention programme, with one taking part.
Schools elsewhere in North Wales have also been using SHRN data to shape health and wellbeing work.
Ysgol Aberconwy in Conwy has used the survey findings to identify priorities for pupils, while the Conwy healthy schools team has developed infographics to help secondary schools present SHRN data to pupils, parents and staff.
Public Health Wales says the fall in vaping coincides with increased public and political attention on youth vaping, including the ban on single-use vapes which came into force across the UK in June 2025.
However, health officials say it is too early to establish how much impact that ban had on the figures.
The new Tobacco and Vapes Act also introduces further restrictions intended to reduce the appeal of vaping to children, including measures covering flavours, packaging, displays and marketing.
Smoking among secondary school pupils has fallen too.
Only 1.8 per cent of Years 7 to 11 pupils reported smoking at least weekly in the latest survey, down from 2.7 per cent in 2023. Public Health Wales estimates that represents around 1,600 fewer young people smoking regularly.
Public Health Wales says vaping is less harmful than smoking but is not risk-free, and says children and young people should not vape.
Mary-Ann McKibben, a consultant in public health, said the fall in both vaping and smoking was welcome after several years of increases in youth vaping.
She said a number of factors could have contributed, including public health work in schools, greater awareness of the risks and the disposable vape ban, but that further monitoring would be needed to establish whether the fall represents a continuing trend.
The latest figures come from the 2025 SHRN Student Health and Well-being Survey, which is carried out every two years among secondary school pupils across Wales. The large-scale survey is used by schools and health authorities to identify trends and help shape prevention and wellbeing programmes.
