UK Advertising Standards Authority bans vaping ads on TikTok

Amid growing pressure on the government to tackle the issue of vaping disposable e-cigarettes, which are explicitly marketed to children, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced a series of bans on disposable e-cigarette ads on TikTok.

The ASA has issued an enforcement notice to vaping brands requiring them to stop advertising on TikTok, which is popular with teenagers, and has also flagged TikTok for removal of some 300 posts actively promoting disposable vaping devices.[1].

Advertisements encouraging the consumption of vaping products

Section 22 of the UK Commission of Advertising Practice sets out the framework for vaping advertisements. Apart from medicines, except in media intended exclusively for professionals, marketing communications that have the direct or indirect effect of promoting vaping products and their components are not permitted in newspapers, magazines and periodicals, nor in online media and certain other forms of electronic media. In addition, the TikTok app guidelines prohibit the promotion of tobacco and vaping products.

The ASA has estimated that targeted ads went beyond informational content and encouraged consumption. The agency noted in particular the use of influencers who promoted attractive flavours, promotional offers and illicit inserts such as “Go buy some now!”, “There are so many different shapes and sizes [of e-cigarettes]”, “so many different flavours” and “so gentle on the throat”. The ASA also stated that it would soon organise a roundtable with social media platforms TikTok, Meta, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) to present the results of its online monitoring and the corrective measures decided.

A similar observation in France

Public health associations, in particular the National Committee against Smoking (CNCT), have made similar observations in France and denounced the illicit nature of many sites and social media pages that actively and repeatedly promote vaping products. The association has already had several tobacco and vaping manufacturers convicted in recent years for illicit advertising for vaping on the Instagram network and on websites. Several brands have since stopped communicating on their websites and social media, but the CNCT calls for continued vigilance and maintains that many manufacturers remain illegal.[2].

UK to ban puffs

British lawmakers are reportedly set to ban disposable vaping devices, following a series of calls from pediatricians and public health and environmental groups over the health and environmental dangers of the products.

Children's respiratory disease specialists have criticised the government for ignoring warnings about the risks of allowing the products to be sold in packaging appealing to children. The products are named after popular sugary treats including banana milkshakes and jelly babies and contain high levels of nicotine. They are widely available in shops and online.

Tags: Puffs, tiktok, marketing, advertising, vaping, e-cigarettes, UK

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[1] Four TikTok vape ads banned as pressure ramps up on e-cigs brands, Marketing Week, published September 13, 2023, accessed September 21, 2023

[2] Communicated, National Committee Against Smoking Warns of Uncontrolled Development of New Products and Calls for Ban on Flavors, published on February 13, 2023