Children to be able to access future 'stop vaping services' alone

Tuesday, 10 June 2025 17:13

Public Health has told IslandFM that children under the age of 18 will be able to access nicotine replacement therapies through school nurses, and in some cases, without parental consent.

School nurses will assess whether nicotine replacement therapies are suitable on a case-by-case basis, and other options include self-help booklets and online resources, as well as face-to-face behavioural support and advice.

The department states that children aged 16 and over can consent to medical treatment, while those under 16 are assessed for Gillick competence, which includes intelligence, competence and understanding of a treatment, before they can consent without parental permission.

It also claims that children aged 12 and above can access nicotine replacement therapies 'over the counter' in pharmacies.

However, the latest Substance Use Strategy outlines a stop vaping service as one of the key goals for 2025.

It comes as a survey found 80% of children, aged between 11 and 18, in Guernsey vape often, with around 2 in 5 children claiming they don't wish to stop.

Director of Public Health, Dr Nichola Brink, says the tiered approach and the use of available services may help children to stop vaping.

"A quarter of current vapers say they did want to quit, and another 37% said they didn't want to quit now, but may wish to later.

"It's about having those services ready and having information for people.

"Those 39% who don't want to quit, we would like to persuade them that it is a good idea to quit vaping."