TikTok videos promoting rule-breaking, humor and shared vaping experiences attract millions of likes, while credible health resources often fail to capture the attention of young people, revealing a growing challenge for public health communication.
Study: #NoIDVape: A content analysis of illegal vape messages in youth information sources. Image credit: Sophon Nawit/Shutterstock.com
Vaping is a fast-growing trend among young people in the UK, but little is known about illicit vaping: the use of unregulated vapers or electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). A recent study published in the journal Addiction was examined how illegal vaping is portrayed in TikTok videos and educational resources that young people may encounter online.
Youth vaping is on the rise despite tighter regulations
Youth vaping has risen sharply in recent years, a growing concern for public health officials in the UK. According to the latest figures reported by the authors, about one in five people aged 11-17 have tried vaping, while 7% are current users, a marked increase from previous estimates, when less than 1% reported regular use. The trend has raised concerns that early exposure to vaping could increase the risk of nicotine addiction among young people.
In response, UK regulators have tightened restrictions on vaping products. It is illegal to sell vaping to under-18s, single-use vaping has been banned and the government has introduced measures aimed at preventing vaping marketing from appealing to children. However, despite these safeguards, underage access remains common and concerns have grown about the availability of illegal vaping products.
In the UK, illegal vaporizers are devices that do not comply with regulations governing nicotine strength, tank size, product notification and health warnings. Some exceed the legal nicotine limit of 20 mg/mL, while others are counterfeit products manufactured outside of controlled supply chains.
In addition to regulatory violations, these devices may pose additional health risks, particularly when they contain undisclosed substances. Investigations have found fake vapes containing psychoactive compounds such as Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Spice, a synthetic cannabinoid, raising concerns about what young users may be unknowingly inhaling.
TikTok is becoming a key source of vape information
Previous research showed a staggering 1.5 billion views of 808 TikTok videos promoting vaping. This indicates the large-scale exposure of youth to content that actively promotes vaping through humor, sensory appeal, and vaping gimmicks. This can normalize vaping, legal and illegal, while desensitizing viewers to the possibilities and dangers of nicotine addiction.
In essence, this can work similarly to content marketing that appeals to youth, subverting existing marketing guidelines and avoiding detection through new hashtags.
Educational resources also discuss the dangers of vaping, but their content has not been systematically analyzed. The present study aims to provide a comparative analysis of the presentation of illegal steam on TikTok, a leading social networking platform, against institutional messages.
Most young people today get their information through social media and their feeds are largely determined by algorithms. In contrast, public health messages aimed at this age group are still web-based. The study’s findings may shed light on “a potential disconnect between the regulated, institutional messages intended for young people and the content they encounter in everyday digital spaces.”
Comparing TikTok trends with health messages
Using Google, the researchers searched for health and education websites offering information about illicit vaping and for publicly available TikTok videos, using eight hashtags related to illicit vaping, including ‘#NoIDVape’ and ‘#puffbundles’. A young person with lived experience of vaping participated to ensure that the findings reflected the actual search experience.
The study found striking contrasts in how illegal vaping content was presented across the two resource types.
TikTok videos
They found 58 TikTok videos dealing with illegal vaping. Almost half (47%) portrayed it positively (underestimating and charming it), 31% were neutral and 22% portrayed it negatively.
Videos classified as “information and education” content were often presented as news reports, discussing issues related to illegal vaping, including health harms, legislation, age restrictions, and ease of access. Sensationalism and extreme examples often characterized such videos.
There were five million likes on videos with positive depictions of illegal vaping. However, the authors point out that informational videos, including those about vaping-related legislation, sales to minors, and health harms, also had millions of likes, indicating their significant reach online.
The researchers note, however, that audience demographics were not examined, meaning that engagement with these videos may not have come exclusively from young people.
Nine key themes emerged in the videos. Videos could belong to many topics. The most common topics, with over 21 million likes between them, were: Lawlessness (57%), Entertainment/Humor (50%), and Subculture and Common Experience (50%).
In these categories, the videos promoted illegal vaping as a socially acceptable activity. Content creators apparently didn’t care about upholding the law and presented illegal vaping as part of an emerging revolutionary subculture. Such videos typically characterize illegal vaping as fun and glamorous and part of rule-breaking behavior (36%). These videos looked homemade, were fun, and had the highest cumulative likes at 24.5 million on February 20, 2025.
On TikTok, users shared tips on how to get around minor bans and regulatory oversight. Videos most commonly featured methods of circumventing vaping laws (48% of videos) or keeping vaping-related activity secret from authorities or parents (40%). Many have used TikTok to expand their businesses, offering vapes as part of bundles containing confectionery or cosmetics, or selling them without age verification.
Educational and institutional resources
Accurate content in vaping
Official and educational websites featured socially responsible and quality content, often from established sources. They were mainly digital information guides or websites with detailed information about vaping (89%). However, only 63% provided substantial coverage of illicit vaping, mostly very briefly, and only 17% were rated as ‘good’ in covering the risks of this behaviour.
These paragraphs dealt with hazardous chemicals in the vapors, including toxic metals such as lead or chromium, and the associated risks of cancer and other diseases. Some mentioned regulations regarding vaping and its value in smoking cessation. They also discussed the risk of nicotine addiction.
Only one resource described how to detect illegal vaping, including indicators such as excessive puffs or packaging that did not comply with health regulations.
Irrelevant or unattractive content format
In contrast to engaging TikTok videos, only about 40% of educational resources were rated “Good” or higher when assessed for their relevance and appeal to youth. The top-rated sites used color, animation, and interactive features to increase user engagement. They also used effective tactics to engage users, such as questions starting with “Did you know?”
They provided the necessary information without jargon, using the language that young people share to increase engagement.
In contrast, text-heavy resources scored poorly, as did those focused primarily on compliance. These often presented rules in an oversimplified or moralizing manner.
While educational resources were generally accurate, evidence-based and often rated as good quality overall, they tended to be serious and provided little information about the health risks of illicit vaping.
Public health messaging struggles to match TikTok
The authors suggest that TikTok may be contributing to an illegal vaping subculture where young people exchange tips on accessing and using vapes while avoiding regulations. Instead, accurate and useful public health information is available, but not in a youth-relevant format, and the topic of illicit vaping is largely sidestepped.
Teens’ predominant exposure to TikTok and other similar content could contribute to a one-sided view of illicit vaping as normal and romantic or adventurous, while downplaying the risks. The authors suggest that legislation and regulations alone, including measures proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, may be insufficient to address the growing prevalence of illicit vaping without effective large-scale messaging targeting youth.
“These findings underscore the need for youth-informed educational resources, with youth repositioned as experts in co-producing effective and relevant content.”
