Major vape brand exposed for using alarming social media tactic: 'Restricted access'

A study identified a major vape brand as using global Instagram accounts to get around local laws meant to protect youth — particularly in New Zealand, where youth vaping rates are high, according to an article in The Conversation.

What's happening?

According the report, British American Tobacco's vape brand Vuse used its global Instagram account (@Vuse.worldwide) to leverage motorsport and influencer content to reach audiences in places where direct vaping ads are banned. (As this story was published, the account was restricted, at least regionally, due to "a legal request" resulting in "restricted access to the content in the location where it goes against local law.")

This raised questions for the researchers about whether New Zealand's ad bans could stand up in today's cross-border digital world. The health and environmental implications made this development especially worrying.

The associated research, published in Health Promotion International, analyzed 405 Vuse posts from August 2023 through July 2024. The researchers found that the brand leaned heavily on its Formula 1 sponsorship with McLaren, with shared posts reaching McLaren's 13 million followers — including one video that was viewed more than 225,000 times, as summarized in The Conversation. 

The authors said Vuse also used "get ready with me" style content, where they had young women placing a vape device subtly in scenes tied to fashion or nightlife to connect the brand with the youth. 

A separate analysis from 2024 in the Nicotine & Tobacco Research journal reviewed 1,243 Instagram posts from tobacco brand-owned accounts between January 2021 and mid-February 2022. Only 12.8% carried fully compliant FDA health warnings, while many featured imagery and themes to attract youth, such as identity-driven branding. The authors concluded that enforcement on Instagram was minimal and called for stricter restrictions to limit youth-appealing content. 

Why are vape ad regulations important?

The Conversation reported that daily vaping among New Zealanders aged 15 to 24 jumped from 3% to 21.3% from 2017 to 2024 — reaching among the highest rates globally. More access to the youth can increase these numbers over time if ad bans are not properly adhered to. The research findings reinforced those concerns, as weak enforcement, such as on Instagram, leaves young people widely exposed to persuasive marketing.

Vaping poses risks not only to users but to the environment as well. When vapes are used, they emit harmful chemicals into the air, exposing bystanders to pollutants as well. Additionally, disposable vapes generate vast quantities of plastic waste, electronic waste, and improperly discarded lithium batteries, all of which can leach toxins into soil and water systems. More than five disposable vapes are thrown away every second in the U.S., according to U.S. PIRG, contributing to overwhelmed landfills and pollution. 

What's being done about youth-targeted vape ads?

Meanwhile, researchers suggested regulators and platforms tighten oversight and recommended clearer restrictions to treat branded social media content the same way as advertising. Without stronger and more consistent enforcement, youth-targeted marketing can continue to slip through platform loopholes.

Together, the evidence showed that since most brand posts avoid warning requirements and use imagery and influencer-style videos to appeal to young people, stronger international oversight and stricter platform enforcement are needed to curb these tactics.

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