On April 3, the UK's advertising watchdog claimed there was no evidence that e-cigarette companies were preying on children, the Daily Mail reported.

In a shocking new documentary that exposes the scale of the epidemic sweeping the UK, investigators scrutinise the colourful packaging and sweet confectionery flavour of some e-cigarette brands.

Kids who are now hooked on the devices even say they feel like e-cigarette makers are targeting them with this marketing ploy, echoing what experts say.

But in a statement to the Sky programme, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said there was no evidence that e-cigarette companies were targeting children and that advertising should not be held responsible for children developing addictive habits.

In a full statement to MailOnline, the ASA said: While we recognise there are legitimate concerns about young people vaping, the current evidence we are reviewing does not suggest that marketing is a driver of underage e-cigarette use.

"While we are aware of the potential appeal of brightly coloured and strongly flavoured vape products, we have yet to see evidence of companies targeting young people through advertising."

"The wider issue here seems to be around the point of sale (where children are being sold these products illegally) and their general promotion through non-advertised (organic) posts on social media."

But Professor Andrew Bush, an expert in children's respiratory diseases from the Royal Brompton and Halfield Hospitals, criticised the ASA's response.

They have to close their eyes and think the world is flat, if they believe that, he said in the documentary.

The specialist, who works at the UK's largest specialist heart and lung centre, is not alone in his criticism.

Chris Arning, founder of the brand consulting firm Creative Semiotics, Who reviewed e-cigarette product packaging for the Kids Who Vape documentary, called the ASA naive.

'It may be true that they're not using classic advertising to target young people,' he said.

"But all you need to do is look at the packaging, color and vibrancy that is strikingly similar to candy and even toys and other products that appeal to kids."

"It would be a bit naive to say that the packaging doesn't influence young people to want to try these products."

The ASA usually focuses only on advertising, which means that issues such as how goods are marketed through packaging do not necessarily fall within its purview.

It comes in the wake of a damning MailOnline investigation that also revealed predatory tactics being used against children by some retailers and e-cigarette makers.

In another part of the show, Mr Arning said he felt like he was stumbling into a sweet shop when he saw dozens of colourful vape products, some of which clearly resembled well-known confectionery brands.

'It's definitely harmless, sweet fun,' he says.

Professor Bush also discussed the potential health risks of e-cigarettes, adding that we simply don't know the long-term health effects.

"It took 30 years to prove that smoking causes lung cancer." 'he said. "We don't want to stand by while another fiasco like this happens. God didn't give us lungs to breathe in thermal chemicals and expect to escape it."

He even said flavored e-cigarettes should be banned altogether, given that the whole health argument behind the devices is based on the idea that they help people quit smoking.

E-cigarettes should come in plain packs, and there should be no flavoring chemicals in them, he said. If you want to quit smoking, why on earth would you need mango-flavored liquid? I mean, give me a break. This is nonsense.

Another key part of the documentary is hearing from British teenagers who vape.

One 16-year-old boy, who did not want to be named, admitted he was addicted to e-cigarettes and smoked two or three times a week.

The boy said he started vaping at the age of 13, adding that the devices were apparently marketed to British teenagers.

"It's definitely aimed at the younger generation, because I don't think adults really care about the rainbow colors on an e-cigarette and wouldn't like a jungle-flavored e-cigarette." 'he said.

A 16-year-old girl, who also declined to be named, added: Adults don't like blueberries and sweetness, it's the kids.

The girl, who has now been vaping for four years, said she was inspired to take up the habit by watching videos of people performing vape tricks on social media.

She also said she has received mixed messages about e-cigarettes and the health effects, and both have heard stories about possible negative effects, while those who sell electronic devices to children insist there are no concerns.

"The person who served me in the store told me there was nothing wrong with e-cigarettes, so you get very mixed signals." 'she said.

One young vape user who participated in the program is well aware of the risks of vaping.

Ewan Fisher was just 16 when he developed hypersensitivity pneumonia, an allergic reaction in the lungs that causes them to become inflamed.

Mr Fisher is believed to have reacted to chemicals in the e-cigarette solution.

He was forced to stay in hospital for 10 weeks and needed artificial lungs to survive.

At one point, his family was told he had only a one in five chance of making it through the night.

Now in his early 20s and still suffering from health problems, he has this message for people considering using e-cigarettes today: Please don't, mostly for the sake of your family and yourself. You have to worry about all the dangers that come with it. I wouldn't wish what happened to me on anyone.

The documentary comes as the government finally proposes to take action on children's use of e-cigarettes.

Ministers are considering banning the use of single-use e-cigarettes flavored with sweets and fruit in a bid to crack down on the popularity of e-cigarettes among children in the UK, it has been reported.

The move could target nicotine-filled devices such as Elf Bars, which are popular among teenagers.

Popular e-cigarette flavors that appeal to children are similar to those found in the sweet aisle.

Strawberry ice cream, marshmallow, and Cherry Coke are some of the flavors Elf Bar currently offers.

Other brands also produce flavors such as cherry berry, vanilla mousse and raspberry slush.

The marketing of these devices is associated with alcoholic drinks, which are sold in bright neon colors with an ultra-sweet or fruity flavor.

Even some parts of the e-cigarette industry have called for stricter rules to be introduced.

But instead of changing the packaging or banning the flavours, they want to impose a £10,000 fine on any retailer found to be selling e-cigarettes to children.

While it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s, the UK e-cigarette Industry Association (UKVIA) said unscrupulous retailers were continuing to break the rules.

It calls for on-the-spot individual fines for directors and owners of errant retailers, calling for fines to be raised to four times the current limit of £2,500.

John Dunne, director general of UKVIA, said: Stop cracking your knuckles, it's time to hit criminals where it hurts most: in their pockets.

The body, which represents brands such as Juul and Geek Bar, also called for mandatory registration of all e-cigarette retailers and regular purchase tests to see if they carry out age checks on people under 18 to better regulate the issue.

In theory, this would subject retailers to strict eligibility restrictions to join a mandatory paid-for enrollment program and would have to conduct an education program to sell e-cigarettes.

If not complied with, this would enable trading Standards to deregister repeat offenders, thereby removing their ability to sell vape products.

A month ago, England's chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, called for a major clampdown on companies using "appalling" marketing tactics to get children hooked on e-cigarettes.

Government statistics show 8.6% of 11 - to 18-year-olds in England regularly or occasionally use e-cigarettes, up from 4% in 2021 and 4.8% in 2020.

The data also showed a big increase in the use of single-use vape products, with 52.8 percent of young vape users using them in 2022, compared with 7.8 percent in 2021 and 5.3 percent in 2020.

Girls appear to be driving the trend, with their use of e-cigarettes doubling in the past three years, while boys have been flat for five years.

Among older students, the rate rises sharply. One in five girls and one in seven boys aged 15 use e-cigarettes, compared with one in 100 boys and girls aged 11.

About three-quarters of current e-cigarette users are also regular or occasional smokers. Only 3 percent have never smoked.

Friends (45 percent), newsagents (41 percent) and relatives (35 percent) were the most likely sources of e-cigarettes for young e-cigarette users.

Devices installed in schools to detect whether children are vaping are being triggered up to 22 times a day, figures released last month showed.

Although it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to children under 18, their use among children has been surging for years.

Every high street in the country now has a designated vape shop and almost all newsagents sell e-cigarettes for as little as £5.

But unlike tobacco, the devices do not need to be hidden behind blinds, although some contain as much nicotine as 50 cigarettes.

Health officials believe e-cigarettes could play a key role in the UK's remaining five million smokers quitting and kicking the habit.

But while health chiefs insist it is safer than smoking, it is not without risks.

E-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers at the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.

Their long-term health effects remain a mystery, and some doctors fear a wave of lung disease and even cancer in the coming decades.

Experts are also concerned that high nicotine levels may increase blood pressure and lead to other heart problems.

Kids Who Vape will air on Sky News between 7 and 10 April, and will also be available on demand on Sky Kids and streaming services from 8 April.