#Discreetshipping: Selling E-cigarettes on TikTok

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of how e-cigarettes are sold and distributed on TikTok, a popular social media platform. The study examines TikTok content using a codebook developed through an iterative, systematic process to identify nuanced topics relevant to the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes via TikTok. The key points of the study highlight the various strategies used by vendors to circumvent minimum legal sales age laws and regulatory policies.

Key Points:

* The study analyzed 367 TikTok videos related to the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes, posted by 101 unique users.
* Vendors used hashtags and signature descriptions to self-identify as small businesses and evade detection by TikTok algorithms.
* Vendors advertised popular e-cigarette brands, often bundled with other products such as candy or body care items, to conceal the product from detection.
* Among the videos, 45.2% did not verify the identification of the purchaser at the sale or delivery, and 6% advertised shipping e-cigarette products worldwide.
* The most common method of transactions took place via Instagram, with 57.5% of posts directing users to an Instagram account and/or another link or website.
* The average number of views, likes, comments, and shares for the posts and the average number of followers and likes of the accounts that authored the posts were also reported.

Main Message:
The study highlights the need for regulatory agencies to expand enforcement strategies to include social media platforms where users are illegally selling and distributing e-cigarettes internationally to young audiences. The findings suggest that vendors on TikTok are circumventing emerging regulatory approaches, including flavor restrictions and proximity laws near schools. Enforcement agencies should consider conducting sting operations on social media platforms to close regulatory gaps for those circumventing laws regarding the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. The study also emphasizes the importance of social media platforms refining their algorithms and enforcing their sales and promotion laws to prevent illegal activities.

Page D Dobbs, Eric D Schisler, Charlotte McCormick, #Discreetshipping: Selling E-cigarettes on TikTok, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 27, Issue 4, April 2025, Pages 748–752, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae081