A quarter of young adults have tried electronic cigarettes, according to a disturbing survey that has found many are simply trying the devices out of curiosity or because their friends are.

Health experts are concerned e-cigarettes could be a gateway to cigarette smoking, and are calling for all the same laws that apply to tobacco to also apply to them.

Nearly a quarter of people aged between 18 and 24 were found to have tried electronic cigarettes, according to a Cancer Council survey. Credit:Joe Armao

The Cancer Council survey of 1000 NSW adults found big differences in the reasons given by different age groups for using electronic cigarettes, with young people also the most likely to report trying them.

Nearly a third of the 18 to 24-year-olds who had tried them did so because they were a novelty, while nearly 20 per cent did so because their friends used them.