11-year-old taken into care after being seen ‘vaping’

The Chonburi Shelter for Children and Families will take into their care an 11-year-old boy who was seen vaping an e-cigarette near a nightclub in Pattaya.

The matter came to light after a video clip went viral on social media.

A woman, who claims to be the boy’s guardian, said that he has been living with her since he was three years old. The boy had repeatedly run away from home.

The woman said that she does not know how or where the child obtained the e-cigarette. Bang Lamung district officials and Pattaya police are preparing to conduct raids and take legal action against those involved in the sale of such devices, which have not been legalised in Thailand.

According to a survey on e-cigarette use in a primary school in central Thailand, conducted in January by medical students from the Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital, 15% of fourth and fifth graders reported being advised or encouraged to try e-cigarettes by family members.

Meanwhile, 73% of minors who have used e-cigarettes claimed to have obtained them from family, friends or other members of their community, who either lent or sold them.

This aligns with data on tobacco product consumption among Thai youth conducted in 2022. It showed a significant increase in e-cigarette use among children and adolescents, rising from 3.3% in 2015 to 17.6% in 2022, a 5.3-fold increase.