A SHOCKING video has emerged appearing to show a baby in a nappy puffing on a pink vape.
Another child sitting off-screen next to the tot suffered a coughing fit as they were engulfed in fumes from the pen.
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The clip shows the vaping toddler strapped into a car seat and taking a puff from the device in its hand.
The tot turns towards the camera and calls out “Nanny”, waving the vape around in its hand before sucking on it again.
Next to the vaping toddler sits another child, positioned just out of frame.
As vapour pours out of the pen, the child can be heard coughing and telling the baby, “you’re choking me with the vape”.
The footage is understood to have been leaked from a Whatsapp thread and was posted to X earlier this month, where it racked up over 500,000 views.
It triggered outrage among viewers.
One wrote: “Wow, that’s one of the most shocking things I have seen.”
“That’s child abuse,” another stated.
“That’s ABSOLUTELY reprehensible if not criminal of these horrible parents,” a third person commented.
The user who shared the video on X admitted it was not their clip, but wrote: “Looks pretty real to me, it’s not the first video I have seen of a young child smoking one of those either, but she is definitely the youngest of the lot.”
They said they hoped the parents could be identified through the video and that children would be brought to safety, if the footage was in fact genuine.
Shocking footage circulated last year, showing a laughing mum handing her vape to a baby for it to take a puff.
Vaping is considered to be less dangerous than smoking but it still comes with its own set of health risks, experts have warned.
Studies have linked the habit to heart and lung disease and even tooth decay.
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man who puffed on e-cigarettes every day for years was recently rushed to A&E with a “hole” in his lung.
“Please take care of yourselves and consider quitting, it’s not worth it,” he pleaded.
Though they come in a variety of colours and flavours that are enticing to youngsters, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) warns that they should never be given to children.
“The evidence is clear that vapes should not be used by, or targeted at, kids – due to the risk and unknown harms involved,” it wrote following plans set out by PM Rishi Sunak to ban disposable vapes.
“The number of children using vapes has tripled in the last three years, and the bulk of that increase has been driven by disposables,” the DHSC went on.
“The active ingredient in most vapes is nicotine, which when inhaled, is a highly addictive drug.
“The addictive nature of nicotine means that a user can become dependent on vapes, especially if they use them regularly.”
Is second-hand vape smoke also dangerous?
Inhaling vape smoke secondhand – like the child sat next to the baby in the video – may also pose a risk to children, experts have warned.
Dr Andrew Garner, a University Hospitals paediatrician, said: “Kids can be exposed to the aerosol from e-cigarettes.
“It may contain a number of harmful substances, including nicotine.”
A paper in the journal Pediatrics examined how nicotine from e-cigarette aerosol may affect children, finding it may harm the nervous, respiratory, immune and cardiovascular systems.
“Because children’s bodies are still developing, they’re especially vulnerable to these effects,” Dr Garner said.
A study published to the British Medical Journal is 2022 found that secondhand nicotine vape exposure was associated with increased risk of bronchitic symptoms – like chest congestion, wheezing or coughing – and shortness of breath among young adults.
What is the age limit for vaping?
The legal age to buy a vape in the UK is 18, the same as cigarettes.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Vape prices in the UK are expected to rise, with chancellor Jeremy Hunt announcing plans to impose a tax on imported e-cigs and manufacturers.
His announcement followed a ban on disposable vapes to try and clamp down on youngsters picking up the habit.
UK vaping law plans
MINISTERS have pledged to crackdown on poorly regulated vapes and e-cigarettes following an explosion in the number of teenagers who use them.
New rules for manufacturers and shopkeepers are expected to come into force in late 2024 or early 2025.
They are set to include:
- Higher tax rates paid on vapes to increase the price and make it harder for children to afford them
- A ban on single-use vapes in favour of devices that can be recharged
- A ban on colourful and cartoonish packaging that may appeal to youngsters
- Tighter controls on flavourings and a ban on unnecessarily sweet or child-friendly ones like bubblegum and candy
- More regulation on how and where they are displayed in shops, potentially putting them out of sight
- Harsher penalties for shops caught selling them to under-18s
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also announced plans to impose a tax on on imported e-cigs and manufacturers, making vapes more expensive.
The duty will apply to the liquid in vapes, with higher levels for products with more nicotine.