European health officials are sounding the alarm over surging e-cigarette use amongst teenagers, calling for urgent legislative reform to achieve the EU’s vision of a nicotine-free generation by 2040.

In response to this growing crisis, Hannah French, Vice-President for Self-Care EMEA at Kenvue, has emphasised that current regulations are failing to protect young people from developing harmful dependencies. Furthermore, writing in The Parliament magazine, French revealed that one in five users of alternative tobacco products begin using them without any prior smoking history. Consequently, this disturbing pattern threatens to create entirely new addictions amongst Europe’s youth.

Staggering Statistics Reveal Scale of Crisis

The data paints a troubling picture for those advocating a tobacco-free future. Over 30% of 15-year-olds have experimented with e-cigarettes, whilst 20% reported using them within the month preceding surveys. Meanwhile, nicotine pouches have experienced explosive growth, with a 71% compound annual growth rate across Europe between 2019 and 2024.

“This growth is particularly alarming given that one in five users of recreational alternative tobacco and nicotine products start using them without ever having smoked,” French stated. “This trend highlights the need for tightened regulations, marketing restrictions and access controls to safeguard Europe’s next generation.”

Legislative Gap Threatens Public Health Goals

Despite the EU’s ambitious commitment to establishing a nicotine-free generation, the bloc’s regulatory framework has remained static for over a decade. The Tobacco Products Directive and Tobacco Advertising Directive have not been updated to address the sophisticated marketing tactics and evolving product landscape targeting young Europeans.

Tobacco use continues to claim 700,000 lives annually across the EU, making it the leading preventable cause of death. Therefore, health advocates argue that achieving a tobacco-free future requires immediate modernisation of these outdated laws to comprehensively regulate e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and emerging nicotine products.

Comprehensive Strategy for Protection and Support

To realise the vision of a nicotine-free generation, experts propose a dual-focus approach. The first pillar centres on prevention through robust regulations, including standardised packaging for all nicotine products, pan-EU advertising bans and consistent flavour restrictions designed to reduce appeal to young people.

The second component ensures access to evidence-based cessation tools, such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy, supporting those already struggling with dependencies. This comprehensive strategy aims to create a unified, pan-European policy framework that addresses both prevention and treatment.

French emphasised that this dual approach enables European citizens to achieve “Total Quit”—complete freedom from tobacco and nicotine dependencies.

Roadmap for a Healthier Europe

Health advocates are urging EU policymakers to take decisive action through several key measures:

• Broaden the nicotine-free generation targets to comprehensively include all nicotine products, not just traditional tobacco
• Implement unified, pan-European standards for regulating e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches
• Future-proof legislation against upcoming innovations in the nicotine product sector
• Restrict health claims to only approved cessation products, ensuring consumer safety

French stressed that these regulatory updates would represent significant progress towards protecting young Europeans whilst supporting the broader goal of a tobacco-free future for the continent.

As Member States prepare to review tobacco legislation, the stakes could not be higher. Without swift action, experts warn that the dream of a nicotine-free generation may slip beyond reach, with millions of young Europeans potentially developing lifelong dependencies on products that didn’t exist when current laws were drafted.

Source: dbrecoveryresources