Age-gated devices are increasingly being floated as a solution to the problem of youth vaping. But are they actually a good idea?

The youth vaping “problem” or “epidemic” is actually a solution to the once high rates of youth smoking. However, a clear failure to understand that dynamic has set various advocacy and public health groups off on a mad chase to restrict or outlaw vaping, in the mistaken belief that suddenly human beings will throw up our hands and stop liking nicotine.

Youth vaping was basically flat for the last three years on record, meaning it’s not an epidemic to anyone who knows what that word means. Yet, the obsession with youth vaping (which, according to ASH, is about 3% in the UK) has led to calls for tighter regulations and more creative efforts to eliminate youth vaping. One proposal growing in popularity is age-gated vape devices.

I had a look at some of the companies providing and, let's be honest, promoting this solution. You can break the tech down into various types, including:

  • The vape has a Bluetooth chip and only works if paired to a smartphone app linked to a verified adult account. Onboarding for these devices would involve a government ID and a video or selfie.
  • Vapes that work with an on-device ID or token that is then on the vape, meaning you don’t have to pair your device with your phone to use it.
  • Vapers must make an account with a provider to prove their age. From there, only account‑approved devices, pods, or vending channels will work with that profile.
  • Age estimation face cameras are used by retailers to approve sales of items.

Many of these options are interesting uses of tech. But, while they are geared at protecting youths, the net result is that they will seriously inconvenience adults. When buying and using a vape is about as complex as setting up a bank account, you’ve got to ask questions.

Anyway, here are a few reasons why I don’t think that age-gated vapes are a good idea for the future.

#1. Poor customer experience

Adding friction to user experience is a hallmark of poor design. Adults don’t want to jump through KYC or biometrics or face scans to vape. It’s absurd.

If youth vaping were a serious health issue, or if daily youth vaping were much more than 3%, you could argue that there was some kind of moral imperative to accept this bad experience. We’re not there, though. If anything, it would take about one scenario where my phone was dead on a night out, therefore locking me out of my vape, to know that regulators had made a grave mistake.

#2. Higher costs

Adding these features to vapes would increase costs for consumers. For some methods, hardware would be more expensive. For other methods, you need to think about extra software, compliance staff, data management, and so on. The net results would be higher unit prices.

Additionally, if regulators favour age‑gated devices, smaller, low‑cost brands that cannot afford the tech stack may exit. That situation could lead to less competition, which would hurt prices and consumer choice.

#3. Age-gated devices could boost smoking or black market vaping

If age-gated devices are introduced, it would be on the back of regulations that mandate this tech for all vapes. This situation could shut out different people who don’t necessarily have documentation, for a variety of reasons. It could also raise the complexity of vaping, leading some current e-cigarette users to feel it’s not worth the fuss.

The net results here are obvious:

  • Some current vapers will return to smoking.
  • Many current smokers will be less likely to quit via vaping.
  • Some users will turn to unregulated black market devices.

None of these scenarios is good.

#4. Data privacy

Any scheme that requires us to upload government ID documents or biometric data to a third party is a concern. Sure, these businesses face a fine if there is a data breach, but that does little for me if my details are out there for anyone to use.

Age‑verification providers and smart‑device ecosystems have already suffered breaches in other sectors. For me, those risks outweigh the benefits.

#5. It’s an admission of failure

Characterising age-gated devices as the only effective way to reduce youth use is an admission of failure. Vape selling licences and properly enforced rules aren’t some utopian project. It’s more than doable if authorities have the will and power to tackle those who flaunt the rules.

If we can’t keep vapes out of youths' hands, how can we stop them from getting alcohol?

Final thoughts

No one wants to see youth vaping at high levels. Thankfully, daily use has plateaued at around 3% over the last few years. Of course, that won’t stop regulators and health groups from pushing for extreme solutions, like age-gated devices. For me, they’re not necessary and, as I’ve outlined above, I think they’ll do more harm than good.