Shocking Link Between Social Media and Youth Vaping Revealed: How Companies Are Using TikTok and YouTube to Push Addictive Candy-Flavored Gadgets to Kids
- Young people addicted to social media are more likely to vape and smoke
- ‘Compelling evidence’ vape companies use online influencers to market to children
New research shows that children who spend a lot of time on Instagram and TikTok are more likely to vape and smoke cigarettes.
Experts have found that the more time young people spend on social media, the more likely they are to adopt the habits.
This was especially evident at higher levels of use: People who spend more than seven hours a day on social media are almost four times more likely to vape than non-users, and eight times more likely to smoke.
The study, published in the journal Thorax, included data from 10,808 people aged 10 to 25 in Britain.
Analysis found that 0.8 percent of those who didn’t use social media vaped, rising to 2.4 percent among those who used it for one to three hours a day.
Young people who spend a lot of time on social media are more likely to take up vaping and smoking, researchers found
Vape companies are using social media sites like TikTok and YouTube to market addictive vapes to children
This rose to 3.8 percent for those who use social media four to six hours a day and 4 percent for those who use social media more than seven hours a day.
Meanwhile, 2 percent of those who said they did not use social media when it came to smoking reported current cigarette smoking, compared to 9.2 percent who used social media for one to three hours a day.
This rose to 12.2 percent of smokers who used social media for four to six hours a day and 15.7 percent for those who spent seven or more hours on it each weekday.
The researchers, including from Imperial College London School of Public Health, said there was “compelling evidence that vape companies are using social media to market their products.”
They added: ‘Social media can encourage cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use through both direct, targeted advertising and the tobacco industry’s use of paid influencers.’
The researchers say companies that own social media platforms have “substantial power” to change exposure to material that promotes smoking and vaping if they choose or are forced to do so.
It comes after research earlier this week revealed that children’s exposure to vape marketing is at an all-time high, with young people overwhelmingly opting for fruit and dessert flavored vapes.
Action on Smoking and Health’s (Ash) annual survey results show that children in Britain are increasingly aware of vape marketing, including in shops and through social media sites such as TikTok and YouTube.
The 2024 survey of 2,587 children aged 11 to 17 found that 7.6 percent currently vape, the same percentage as last year but up from 2.8 percent in 2017 and 0.8 percent in 2013.
Hazel Cheeseman, Ash’s deputy director, said of the new research: ‘Eliminating children’s exposure to tobacco promotion has been important in reducing teen smoking rates.
‘This new study adds to the evidence that online promotions contribute to the likelihood of children trying vaping.
‘Young people deserve to be protected in online spaces as much as they are in physical spaces and the government must look at what can be done to keep this safe.’