Report reveals sharp rise in vaping, gambling
PUBLISHED : 25 Feb 2026 at 00:26
Thai youth are increasingly falling prey to risky behaviours, with e-cigarette use soaring and online gambling reaching troubling levels, according to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth).
Children and teenagers are being aggressively targeted by marketing for e-cigarettes and online betting platforms, said Paranee Phuprasert, ThaiHealth’s assistant manager.
Speaking recently, she cited findings from the 2025 Thai Health Report compiled jointly with a team from Mahidol University.
The report shows that youth e-cigarette use surged tenfold in just one year — from 24,050 users in 2021 to 269,533 in 2022 — reflecting the rapid spread of vaping products among young people.
Online gambling presents a similarly alarming trend. A 2023 study by the Gambling Problem Study Centre found that 32.3% of Thai youth had participated in online gambling. On average, young gamblers spent 1,633 baht per month, generating an estimated 58.7 billion baht in annual gambling circulation from this age group alone, Ms Paranee said, while also warning of the potential for rising mental health problems, strained family relationships and declining academic motivation.
In response, ThaiHealth has been working since 2017 to promote safe and supportive environments by strengthening youth participation at the community level. The initiative has led to the creation of 1,054 learning spaces nationwide, supporting 1,376 creative activities and benefiting more than 200,000 children and young people.
Nisa Rattanadilok Na Phuket, director of ThaiHealth’s Office of Community Health Support, said building a protective community ecosystem requires collaboration across four key sectors: local governments, administrative authorities, state agencies and community organisations.
Local children and youth councils have emerged as a central mechanism in this effort, with more than 243 local administrative organisations now operating strong youth councils.