Illegal Vapes Blitz TikTok, Insta Despite Strict Laws

Illegal vape sales are proliferating across social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, with sellers promoting nicotine products directly to Australian audiences. Posts feature popular brands, distributed from local warehouses with express shipping, often directing consumers to encrypted messaging apps for purchases. Some content appears coordinated, even utilizing paid advertising on TikTok.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is aware of thousands of similar posts and has removed over 8,500 unlawful advertisements since January 2024, issuing more than $1.5 million in fines. Despite Australia's strict anti-vaping laws, implemented in 2024 and banning all vape advertising, such content persists.

Public health experts argue that social media platforms are not fulfilling their promised responsibilities. They advocate for penalties against platforms, not just individual sellers, to address the "whack-a-mole" approach to content removal. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube acknowledge the content violates their community guidelines and stated that identified accounts have been banned or terminated.