E-cigarette advertising poses a real threat to under-18s who are in danger of being enticed by the alluring nature of the images, a recent roundtable discussion on children and smoking hosted by the All- Party Parliamentary Group on Primary Care and Public Health heard. Glamorous, cool and sexy were how some adolescents described advertising posters for e-cigarettes.

“Whilst we are pleased about the new Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) rules that aim to curb advertising of e-cigarettes to young people, inappropriate images can still be seen on billboards and online adverts for these products,” says Sir Kevin Barron, APPG chairman.

Other concerns raised by young people included access, availability and quality, leading MPs to recommend that e-cigarettes are “sold through licensed premises only, to assure product quality and prevent opportunistic purchasing”.