Revealed: TikTok traders illegally selling vapes disguised as lip gloss and candy to young children using secret code words to trick parents By Chris Pollard Published: 05:05 BST, 23 May 2024 | Updated: 05:05 BST, 23 May 2024 e-mail View comments Vaping products disguised as colourful lip gloss and candy are being openly sold to children on TikTok with secret codes designed to trick parents, a study found. Researchers analysed hundreds of posts on the Chinese video-sharing app to identify hashtags that indicate addictive and potentially dangerous e-cigarettes are being sold. While a clip may appear to be advertising harmless items suitable for young children, the wording on the screen tells in-the-know youngsters that vapes will be hidden in any package they order.
The study, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, identified popular hashtags including #puffbars, #geekbar and #elfbar – all brands of disposable e-cigarettes. Code-words that indicate sellers are offering concealed vapes with pictured products include #puffbundles, #discreetshipping and #hiddennic. One of the posts identified by the researchers appears to be selling candy and lipgloss, but the words 'elf bundle' tell youngsters that a vaping product will be included in the package Colourful disposable vapes can currently be sold in sweet shops and other venues that appeal to children The words ‘ALL FAKE’ are used in captions to evade TikTok’s illegal activity detection algorithms, the res.
