Australian researchers who have studied the portrayal of vaping on TikTok say there is an “urgent need” for age restrictions to reduce teens’ exposure to videos that portray it in a positive light. The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, evaluated the content of 808 popular vaping videos that had been collectively viewed more than 1.5bn times as of November 2020. “Considering vaping-related videos are widely accessible on TikTok, there is an urgent need to consider age restrictions to reduce youth uptake.”They suggested that vaping videos on TikTok might reach a wider audience than on other video-sharing platforms as a result of its recommendation algorithm. The sale of nicotine vapes is outlawed in Australia, and from 1 October it will no longer be legal to buy nicotine e-cigarette products from overseas websites without a doctor’s prescription. We will remove content and accounts that are identified as being dedicated to promoting vaping and we do not allow ads for vaping products or nicotine pouches.”

Source: The Guardian July 26, 2021 22:30 UTC