11-year-old girl hospitalized after vaping as mother warned parents not to be sold to children

A washed-up teenage girl was hospitalized after she managed to use an illegal fake vaporizer that could legally contain twice as much nicotine.

Anne Holly Smith, 29, panicked and realized something was wrong when her 11-year-old daughter was extremely lethargic and could barely stand up.

Mrs Smith said she knew her daughter had “found something” and called an ambulance for her daughter.

The mother is now calling for action against the illegal sale of e-cigarettes to children, which can be bought for £4.

Disposable vaporizers are often colorful and advertised with fruity flavors to help catch kids’ attention.

But Ms. Smith says sales of vaporizers to minors should be stopped immediately.

E-cigarettes (center) are often decorated in bright colors and have kid-friendly packaging that Ms. Smith says should stop.

Hundreds of illegal e-cigarettes were seized at a Norfolk shop this year (pictured), with several complaints about Miss Smith selling vaporizers to children in the town of Yarmouth.

Speaking to EDP, Ms Smith said she is aware of nine-year-olds who routinely buy vaporizers from unscrupulous retailers.

“I don’t understand why they’re so helpful.

“I think it’s disgusting. They should take these off the shelves and hide them like cigarettes. They shouldn’t be around.

Smith, a maid, said there are a number of health risks associated with vaping, including lung damage and cancer, and asked Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis to address the issue.

In Yarmouth, where Miss Smith lives, there have been six complaints from traders since April 1st regarding the sale of underage vaporizers, including three related to the same trader, according to Norfolk County Council commercial standards.

Earlier this year, investigators found thousands of illegal e-cigarettes for sale across the county and confiscated 350 from a shop in King’s Lynn.

The products were found to contain more than twice the maximum legal level of nicotine and more than three times the maximum volume of liquid, which could cause “unexpected damage.”

The number of children who regularly use e-cigarettes has nearly doubled in two years, according to a government-funded report.

Experts blame the rise of social media sites like TikTok, where vaping hacking videos garnered tens of millions of views.

The report, which surveyed 2,000 British children, found that one in 14 (7%) over the age of 11 used e-cigarettes routinely, four percent in 2020.

The rate of those who tried the devices increased to 16% in the same period. Almost half of the users had watched vaping videos on TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat.

About 52% of vape teens said disposable e-cigarettes are their favorite product, a dramatic increase from 7% saying the same in 2020.

Priced at just £4 each and the size of a highlighter, these Chinese-made e-cigarettes have taken the market by storm.

They can be used immediately with a built-in battery and provide the equivalent of approximately 50 cigarettes of nicotine.

It’s illegal to sell them to anyone under the age of 18, but they’re widely available to teens via TikTok and Instagram.

Deborah Arnott, CEO of Smoking and Health Action (ASH), has called for more funding to enforce laws against child sales and promote child-friendly packaging and labeling and social media promotion.

He said it wasn’t “surprising” that the devices were becoming more attractive to children.