Using social media Reddit to circumvent ban on sales to minors

Researchers[1] collected and analyzed public data on JUUL from the media Reddit[2]The aim of this study was to analyze the profile of minors using JUUL but also the methods of use and access to this product.

Using social media to circumvent legislation

The researchers extracted and summarized information about users’ age, geographic location, and preferred flavors. JUUL purchasing approaches were analyzed by examining the content of Reddit threads. A total of 716 threads and 2,935 comments were collected from the subreddit.[3] UnderageJuul. Most of the people posting in this category were between the ages of 13 and 21. More importantly, seven covert approaches to circumventing legal regulations to obtain JUUL products were identified, the most common of which was purchasing JUULs from other Reddit users.

In addition to purchasing JUUL products directly from other users, Redditors were concerned about retailers not verifying IDs. Using fake IDs was another approach to purchasing JUUL products from the official website or other vaping sites. Some Redditors were selling verified accounts on the official JUUL website or codes (promotional or replacement) from the official website to receive a JUUL kit.

The usefulness of social networks for public health purposes

JUUL’s popularity among youth has also been reported in the news media and academic articles, raising public health concerns. Findings and insights from these types of studies can contribute to a better understanding of JUUL use patterns among minors and help public health officials provide timely education and counseling to minors who intend to access the JUUL brand.

Reddit, along with other social media, has been widely used for e-cigarette studies. However, little research has been conducted on the age distribution, geographic distribution, purchasing approaches to JUUL, and flavor preferences of users. This study aimed to inform the tobacco control community and those responsible for tobacco regulatory decision-making. Mining this real-time social media data allows for rapid monitoring of potential health risks before they become public health threats.