Dutch doctors target Snapchat for illegal vape sales

Dutch doctors and public health organizations have issued a formal notice to the social network Snapchat, which it accuses of facilitating the illegal sale of flavored vaping products through its platform. This initiative is part of a growing movement against the proliferation of nicotine products available to minors on social media.

Illegal sales widespread via Snapchat

In the Netherlands, Snapchat has become a preferred channel for the illicit sale of vaping products, particularly flavored disposable e-cigarettes called "puffs." These products, which are very popular among teenagers, are offered for sale by anonymous accounts that circumvent national legislation and directly target young consumers through attractive, coded content.

Since January 2024, flavors other than tobacco in e-liquids have been banned in the Netherlands, in line with the national tobacco control policy aimed at reducing the appeal of vaping among young people. Furthermore, disposable vaping devices are also banned from sale, as they are considered both harmful to public health and particularly polluting. These regulatory measures place the Netherlands among the strictest European countries when it comes to controlling vaping products.

Despite these bans, a multitude of Snapchat accounts continue to offer prohibited products for sale: puffs flavored with strawberry, watermelon, or cotton candy, often containing high levels of nicotine, well above the European limit of 20 mg/ml. Sellers target young people directly through stories, colorful images, emojis, or posts in cryptic language, making them difficult for the platform's automated moderation systems to detect.

The products are often delivered at very short notice, sometimes within the same day, via informal delivery services or pick-up points, without any age verification. This is a completely illegal sale, escaping all health, tax, and regulatory controls. Some devices seized or purchased for testing purposes bear no health warnings or traceability elements, and are suspected of containing undeclared substances.

The Dutch Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation, which has documented these practices on a large scale, highlights Snapchat's continued inaction, despite numerous reports and clear violations of its own terms of service. According to the organization, dozens of illegal accounts remain active every day, helping to normalize nicotine use among minors and undermining national public health efforts.

A worrying situation for the protection of young people

The illicit sale of vaping products via Snapchat reveals the limitations of current digital platform regulatory mechanisms in the face of clandestine commercial practices that directly target adolescents. This situation poses a serious threat to public health, all the more worrying in a context where young people represent a prime target for the nicotine industry.

Health professionals and prevention organizations point out that vaping products, particularly flavored puffs, are designed to appeal to young consumers: sweet flavors, colorful designs, discreet formats, and ease of use. Their illegal distribution on Snapchat or other social media platforms not only circumvents existing bans, but also trivializes early exposure to nicotine, a highly addictive substance whose effects on the developing brain are well documented.

In the formal notice to Snap Inc., the Dutch Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation and several physicians are demanding the immediate removal of accounts identified as illegal sellers of vaping products.[1]They also call for more effective and accessible reporting mechanisms, stronger oversight of content promoting prohibited products, and a clear and public commitment from the platform to protect minors, accompanied by a concrete action plan. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the signatories are threatening to take the matter to court with the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) and the European Commission to force Snapchat to act.[2].

Finally, this case illustrates a broader dynamic: the continued adaptability of the tobacco and nicotine industry, which is investing in new digital spaces to promote its products, despite bans. By relying on poorly monitored channels, such as ephemeral messaging services and networks used by young people, these strategies compromise public health advances and highlight the urgent need to extend and, above all, apply regulations to the digital ecosystem as a whole.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Press release, Doctors demand action from Snapchat against vape dealers, Youth Smoking Prevention, published June 10, 2025, accessed June 11, 2025

[2] Dutch doctors threaten legal action against snapchat over illegal vape sales, NL Times, published June 10, 2025, accessed June 11, 2025