Fears over e-cigarettes leading to smoking for young people unfounded – study

Largest ever such survey of British 11- to 16-year-olds reveals experimentation with vaping devices does not translate into regular use and smoking rates still in decline

Young people who try e-cigarettes are not more likely to take up smoking as a result, according to a substantial new study.

Public health experts have been divided over e-cigarettes. Some believe they will help millions quit their deadly tobacco habit, while others are convinced they are little more than a stalking horse for the tobacco industry. Some of the big international tobacco companies have invested in manufacturing e-cigarettes. Philip Morris International has even spoken of a "smoke-free future", where it would make its money from liquid nicotine for vaping devices rather than tobacco.