Health experts want e-cigarette makers to be banned from promoting them in ways that will appeal to children, including naming their products after sweets and using cartoon characters.
According to The Guardian, Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and UK public health doctors are urging ministers to outlaw "totally inappropriate marketing techniques" that they fear will lure under-18s into vaping.
They are demanding action to stop e-cigarettes and the e-liquids that go into them from being given names such as "bubblegum candy", and using cartoon images popular with children.
Professor Chris Whitty, the government's chief medical advisor, shares their concern about e-cigarettes being marketed in a way that could encourage young people to try them, even though it is illegal to sell them to under-18s. He warned last year that the government should deal robustly with anyone trying to "push" them at young people.
Deborah Arnott, Ash's chief executive, said: "Branding using cartoon characters, garish colors and sweet names is clearly attractive to children, and it is hard to imagine why it is necessary for adult smokers."
"These are totally inappropriate marketing techniques for manufacturers to be using, given that it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s. These techniques risk luring children into e-cigarette use," she added.
"The government has a responsibility to do all it can to reduce the appeal of e-cigarette packaging to children," she stressed.
The call comes after new research by Ash, King's College London and the University of Waterloo in Canada found that children were more likely to find a range of popular vaping brands appealing if the packaging used bright colors compared with those that came in plain packets. However, the type of packaging made no difference to adults' views.
