It is undeniable that Tiktok has hundreds of millions of users around the world, which brings huge opportunities to marketers. Not only has it surpassed Snapchat and Twitter in popularity, but Tiktok has fewer ads than its outdated counterparts. The app’s extraordinary virality, which allowed people to edit and share videos with built-in music, filters and effects, certainly shocked the advertising world.
However, Tiktok helped e-cigarette companies bypass the FDA’s ban on sales to people under the age of 21. In fact, over the past few years, some videos have been shown as discreetly as puff bars on app marketing e-cigarettes. Not only are there people vaping in the video, but it also clearly mentions how to buy them.
Why did Vape start marketing on Tiktok?
For e-cigarette companies, Tiktok is an ideal unregulated way to reach a wider audience, especially young people. FDA regulations prohibiting sales and advertising to minors have been in place since 2016. The agency’s deliberation rules prohibit e-cigarette companies from going to market before they have been approved by the FDA through the premarket tobacco approval process.
On the other hand, the federal government has taken further action against vaping teens in the Ewari disaster by banning flavorings across the country. But unlike SMOK Mag Grip, some single-use vaping companies, such as Puff Bars, have exploited loopholes in the federal ban. In reality, the new law is only designed for flavored and reusable devices, but single-use e-cigarettes or reusable cans are still allowed.
While the government has taken action against vaping companies, this ambiguity has allowed vaping companies to sell. Most of Tiktok’s users are young people. Looking back, for some reason a third of its users are under 14, which is very concerning.
E-cigarette marketing: why is it difficult to control?
With so much content uploaded to Tiktok every day, it is difficult to police what young people see, such as content promoting vaping devices to those who are not allowed to buy and use them.
Payment apps like PayPal and Venmo also make it easier to sell devices because buyers don’t need to use a credit card to make a purchase.
It is completely illegal for minors to purchase such unregulated e-cigarettes. While the app has been doing its best to eliminate other types of information, such as disinformation about elections, vaping-related content still appears to continue to thrive.
On the other hand, teens don’t shy away from watching these videos because they get millions of views and likes on every post. How to Eliminate Vape Ads on Tiktok
According to a Tiktok spokesperson, they are not allowed to post any tobacco-related content on its platform. In addition, it pledged to eliminate reported and discovered vaping or tobacco-related content. However, Tiktok does not actively track vaping-related content like other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. The social media platform has created new rules to prevent e-cigarette sellers from offering misinformation and unsafe products.
