Age Notice
Device Watch UK is intended for adults aged 18 and over who already smoke or vape, or who are seeking factual information about vaping hardware for other legitimate reasons such as research, retail work, or supporting someone else’s decision-making.
Nothing on this site is intended to encourage anyone under 18, or anyone who does not already smoke or vape, to start using vaping or nicotine products. If you are under 18, please leave this site.
The legal position in the UK
UK law sets the minimum age to purchase vaping and tobacco products at 18, under the Children and Young Persons Act, and this is enforced by retailers through ID checks at the point of sale. Many retailers apply a “Challenge 25” policy, asking for ID from anyone who appears under 25, as their own business practice, though the legal age itself remains 18.
Why we do not use a pop-up age gate
Some sites use a full-screen age verification pop-up that visitors must click through before seeing any content. We have chosen not to build one, because a self-declared click-through box does not meaningfully verify anyone’s age and can make a site harder to use for search engines, assistive technology and ordinary readers alike. Instead, we display this notice clearly on every page via the footer, and as its own page here, which we believe is a more honest and accessible approach for an informational site that does not sell products directly.
If you smoke or currently vape
According to the NHS, vaping is regulated but not risk-free; it is not described as harmless. Public health bodies such as the NHS and Cancer Research UK/OHID generally position vaping as substantially less harmful than smoking and as something that can support quitting smoking, while continuing to note that it is not risk-free and is not intended for people who do not already smoke. If you are trying to quit smoking, NHS Smokefree services offer free, evidence-based support.
See also our terms & disclaimer and editorial policy for how this content is researched and sourced.