The Youth Council’s Community Advocacy and Volunteering Committee received responses from 164 young people aged between 10 and 24 years in Invercargill.
Youth councillor Emma Pope presented the report this week, saying a quarter of respondents said they vaped daily and largely for social reasons.
Nearly half of respondents said they received their vape products from friends, though over a quarter of underage participants said they were able to buy their own products.
"The average age those surveyed began vaping was 16, with the youngest beginning at 8. We found that information to be concerning," she said.
"There was a social pressure to vape in school bathrooms, this feeling was backed up with two thirds of our respondents being introduced to vaping from peers, and nearly half receiving their products from peers."
The youth council believed an expansion of the CBD’s smoke-free zone would support Smoke Free 2025, she said. "It would be useful to see more smoke-free and vape-free signage within the CBD, and would be good to see the awareness of smoke-free zones flowing on to council social media platforms."
Community Wellbeing Committee meeting chairman Darren Ludlow asked the youth councillors if expanding the CBD’s smoke-free zone 18 months out from 2025 was a useful action, with Ms Pope affirming their stance.
Cr Trish Boyle said she would like to see youth councillors develop a campaign to counter vaping.
"We really do need to stop it, because it’s creating bullying issues as well."
