The UK government is introducing new measures, including an update on vape packaging, to address the increasing trend of vaping among young people in the country.  

The new measures are aimed at ensuring manufacturers produce plainer and less visually appealing packaging on vaping products. 

The move is part of the government's response to a consultation on smoking and vaping initiated last October.

The government is also calling for restricting vape flavours and introducing changes in how vapes are displayed in shops to make them less appealing to children. 

The new changes are expected to be implemented by the end of this year or early 2025, the Guardian reported.  

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic. 

“As prime minister I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term. That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes - which have driven the rise in youth vaping - and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops.”    

The announcement comes after a study published in March last year in medical journal Jama Network, which revealed that standardised packaging measures may reduce the appeal of e-cigarettes among young people without reducing their appeal among adults trying to substitute smoking.

The survey was conducted on 2,469 young people (aged 11-18) and 12,046 adults (aged over 18) in the UK.