Netherlands: Snapchat accused of illegally selling vapes to minors

In the Netherlands, several health organizations and medical specialists are warning of the persistence of a parallel market for electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches via Snapchat, particularly accessible to adolescents.[1]The platform pledged in early August to strengthen its measures: better detection of slang and emojis disguising products, account blocking, teen filters, and parental controls. However, a field survey revealed that no concrete improvements were visible: the number of identified reseller accounts remained stable—or even slightly higher after Snapchat announced its promises.

As early as June 2025, doctors from Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, supported by the Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation (Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd) and several health associations, sent a formal notice to Snapchat, demanding concrete action against the illegal sale of flavored vapes—now banned in the Netherlands—to minors.

An alarming observation: young people exposed to an active illegal market

The survey, conducted using a panel of fifteen adolescents aged 13 to 18, highlights the ease with which minors can access nicotine product retailers via Snapchat. The young participants were asked to search for various terms related to e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, including substitute words and emojis used by retailers to circumvent filters.

The results are clear: both before and after the implementation of the measures announced by Snapchat in August, each teenager was able to identify an average of more than fifty accounts offering illegal sales. The mechanisms for blocking certain keywords ("vape," "cigarette") are proving insufficient in the face of the inventiveness of sellers, who resort to evolving linguistic or visual codes. Slang terms like snabba Or gerroes, or even simple icons like a cloud or a cigarette, always allow you to quickly find reseller profiles[2].

The panel's discussions confirm that these are not fictitious profiles: in the majority of cases tested, sellers responded and offered actual products. Some promote disposable e-cigarettes with very high capacities—up to 60,000 puffs—representing a massive dose of nicotine. Others offer flavored pouches or even cannabis-related products. Snapchat thus remains an active channel for distributing highly addictive and illegal products to minors, fueling a parallel market beyond the control of health authorities.

Major health risks for minors

The availability of nicotine products via Snapchat raises serious health concerns. Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period for addictive substances: the developing brain is more sensitive to the effects of nicotine, leading to rapid and lasting dependence. From the first use, the risk of addiction is high, with consequences that often last for a long time.

Beyond addiction, nicotine has deleterious effects on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, increasing the likelihood of later chronic diseases. The devices seized in the investigation—50,000- or 60,000-puff vapes—illustrate the magnitude of the exposure, equivalent in nicotine terms to dozens of packs of traditional cigarettes, concentrated into a single product.

The consequences also affect the cognitive and psychological sphere: decreased concentration, memory problems, increased anxiety and depressive symptoms. Nicotine use in adolescence can also act as a gateway to other substances, increasing the risk of a spiral of consumption. Finally, the appeal of flavored or sugary products helps mask the dangers of nicotine, reinforcing the appeal among younger people and trivializing their experimentation.

Between defending Snapchat and the need for a regulatory response

Faced with criticism, Snapchat claims to have invested in detection technologies, banned advertising for vaping products, and implemented filters to limit access by minors. The company insists that traffickers are constantly adapting their methods and points out that it cannot monitor private communications without violating European law.

These arguments, however, failed to convince health organizations. For them, the panel's results show that Snapchat's commitments are not producing any concrete results and that the platform is in violation of its obligations under the European Digital Services Act. This regulation requires platforms to take effective and proportionate measures to limit the dissemination of illegal content and activities, particularly when they concern the protection of minors.

It is on this basis that the Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation and its partners have contacted the Dutch Authority for Consumer Affairs and Markets (ACM). They are demanding that the body enforce the law and impose binding measures on Snapchat in this area. For health professionals, the credibility of the European regulatory framework and, above all, the protection of children and adolescents from the tobacco and nicotine industry's strategies are at stake.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Doctors issue enforcement request against Snapchat for vape dealers, Tabaknee, published August 27, 2025, accessed the same day

[2] Snapchat still failing to stop illegal vape sales to Dutch teens, Dutch News, published on August 27, 2025, accessed the same day