‘Smart’ vapes could include age verification so under-18s can’t use them

Smart vapes could be sold which prevent underage teens from using them. The historic Tobacco and Vapes act which became law today will allow the Government to mandate that manufacturers use age verification technology . MPs are calling on ministers to use these new powers granted to get vaping companies to rollout digital child locks on devices. MPs warn there is a coming “gamification” of e-cigarettes where devices include games or smart features that reward users for use. Age verification technology in vapes is already possible as well as “geofencing” which can stop e-cigarettes working in certain sensitive locations where children are, such as schools and playgrounds. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Responsible Vaping is calling for the Government to use its new powers to regulate the technology and software inside vape devices themselves as well as how they are sold. APPG chair Euan Stainbank said: “While vapes have a place as an adult smoking cessation tool, changes that stop young people getting their hands on vapes are crucial. "I welcome the Government’s new powers and urge ministers not just to regulate risks, but also look at making positive changes extending protection from the point of sale to the point of use.” MPs are calling for smart vape technology to be used for good — such as Bluetooth-enabled age locks, app-based verification and “smart” restrictions that prevent a device from working unless the user’s age is confirmed. It comes a day after the Mirror revealed Health Streeting will use the new act expected to get Royal Assent this week to implement a crackdown on underage vaping . Rogue shops will be hit with on-the-spot fines while £30 million will be used to create a crack team of 120 vaping enforcers as part of Trading Standards. Former Health Secretary Lord Andrew Lansley said: “The latest evidence tells us that nearly half of under-age vapers are buying them from shops, and nearly a quarter of under-age vapers receive them via proxy purchases. "The Tobacco and Vapes Act provides a great opportunity for the Government to look at implementing technology that means only verified adults would be able to use vapes.” From next summer the government will use new powers granted under the new law to clamp down on advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes in shops up and down the country. Adverts, billboards and sponsorship by vaping companies will be outlawed. The Government also plans a consultation on whether vapes should be in plane packaging and hidden from display under the counter - the same as cigarettes. Professor Sir Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, said: “Marketing vapes at children is utterly unacceptable and this Act takes powers to restrict it.”