Retailers selling nicotine pouches are facing renewed scrutiny following the release of new figures by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) showing a sharp rise in awareness and use among under-18s in Britain.
According to YouGov data commissioned by ASH, awareness of nicotine pouches among children rose from 38 per cent in 2024 to 43 per cent in 2025, with nearly 4 per cent of teenagers – an estimated 210,000 – reporting they have tried them. Use has also grown among adults aged 18–34, where 2.6 per cent are now using pouches, compared with just 0.2 per cent of adults aged over 55.
The data also revealed a stark gender divide, with men under 40 three times more likely to use pouches than women of the same age – 3.5 per cent versus 1.2 per cent.
Despite their lower risk profile compared to smoking, ASH raised the alarm over the lack of safeguards around nicotine pouches, including no legal age of sale, limits on nicotine strength, or restrictions on marketing.
Hazel Cheeseman, CEO of ASH, said: “The surge in teen awareness and growing levels of use in young adults over the last two years indicates that the industry’s marketing strategies are working. Nicotine pouches are very likely to be less harmful than smoking. However, they must be properly regulated.”
Bob Blackman MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, added: “The longer it takes for this government to regulate, the more time the tobacco industry has to promote their products to the next generation.”
Calls are mounting for the government to fast-track the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would give ministers powers to regulate nicotine pouches – including setting a minimum age of sale. But the Bill is yet to progress to its next stage in Parliament and may not move forward until the autumn.
Trading Standards officers are also frustrated by the legal vacuum. Kate Pike, Tobacco and Vapes Lead at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said there is public concern. “I hear from trading standards teams across the country who are getting reports from concerned citizens who have seen teenagers being sold these products. However, there is no action we can take until the law is changed as no offence is being committed.”
Retailer VPZ, one of the UK’s largest vape specialists, has backed the need for stronger regulation. Operations director Jamie Strachan said: “We fully agree that these products must be properly regulated to prevent underage access and misuse.”
He added that VPZ already enforces age checks in-store and online and warned that “marketing restrictions alone will not put an end to youth uptake.”
Strachan also called for a ban on sales in non-specialist outlets: “These products should only be marketed within specialist smoke cessation retailers, towards adults looking to quit. There must also be a ban on sales in environments like snack vans, barber shops, and candy stores, where age verification standards may be insufficient.”
