A study found that vaping products disguised as colorful lip gloss and candy are openly sold to children on TikTok with secret codes designed to trick parents.
Researchers analyzed hundreds of posts on the Chinese video-sharing app to identify hashtags that indicate addictive and potentially dangerous e-cigarettes are being sold.
While a clip may appear to be advertising harmless items suitable for young children, the text on the screen tells informed young people that the vaporizers will be hidden in any packaging they order.
The study, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, identified popular hashtags such as #puffbars, #geekbar and #elfbar, all brands of disposable e-cigarettes.
Keywords that indicate sellers are offering hidden vaporizers with illustrated products include #puffbundles, #discreetshipping, and #hiddennic.
One of the posts identified by researchers appears to sell candy and lip gloss, but the words “elf package” tell young people that a vaping product will be included in the package.
Today, colorful disposable vaporizers can be sold in candy stores and other places attractive to children.
The words ‘ALL FAKE’ are used in the captions to evade TikTok’s illegal activity detection algorithms, researchers said, while #noID indicates that the seller will not require identification for the sale.
Nearly one in five of the vaporizer sales accounts studied advertised themselves as a “small business.”
The vaping products were found to be hidden among harmless items in sealed bags or inside hair scrunchies.
Professor Page Dobbs, of the University of Arkansas, said: “Parents should be aware that children may receive e-cigarette products in the mail.”
‘These self-proclaimed small businesses target young people by announcing that they do not check their ID.
‘If your child receives a package of candy or beauty products in the mail, check the inside of the package or the inside of the zippered hair tie.
“In addition, policymakers and law enforcement agencies need to be aware that these products are shipped internationally, which means people are circumventing tobacco laws in several countries.”
Overall, the researchers found that 50.4 percent of the videos studied advertised popular vaping brands and 45 percent included cannabis products.
The videos directed customers to other social media platforms, typically Instagram, guiding them to use anonymous messaging apps, including Telegram, to purchase the nicotine products.
Nearly half (45.2 percent) of posts said they did not require age verification. Neither video indicated that customers were required to provide identification to make the purchase.
Although the legal age for vaping is 18, the number of children using it has tripled in the last three years, according to the Department of Health. A staggering 1 in 5 children have tried vaping.
The long-term effects of vaping are unknown, although they have been linked to lung scarring, organ failure, and asthma.
They are also highly addictive and cheap battery-powered devices have been known to explode in users’ hands.
Disposable vaporizers are particularly linked to their rise in popularity among children. They’re cheap and easy to use: 69 percent of vapers ages 11 to 17 use them.
Meanwhile, 63 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds use TikTok, where users can post short video clips from anonymous, unverified accounts.
