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ToolsBray, Eleanor, Gentry, Sarah, Varley, Anna, Notley, Caitlin, Webb, Samuel and Ward, Emma (2026) #NoIDVape: A content analysis of illicit vape messaging in young people's information sources. Addiction. pp. 1-18. ISSN 0965-2140
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Abstract
Background and aims: In recent years, the increased prevalence of youth vaping in the United Kingdom (UK) may have coincided with a proliferation in the use of ‘illicit’ (unregulated) vapes. Media or educational content about illicit vaping aimed at young people is scarce and poorly understood. This study aimed to systematically assess the content of both TikTok videos and educational resources relating to illicit vaping. Methods: A systematically conducted analysis of educational and social media resources. Manual searches were conducted in the UK to collect URLs and metadata for publicly available TikTok videos using eight illicit vaping-related hashtags. Video content was coded across inductively derived thematic domains. Educational resources were collected via relevant search terms on Google; illicit vape content was appraised across five domains and the quality of each resource was assessed. Results: A total of 58 TikTok videos were categorised across nine thematic domains. The most prevalent themes were ‘Apathy Towards Law’ (57%), ‘Entertain/Humour’ (50%) and ‘Sub-culture and Shared Experience’ (50%), generating a combined total of 21 million likes. Educational resources were rated as ‘good’ quality overall (56%) but underperformed in domains related to ‘Illicit Vapes Health Risk Depiction’ and ‘Relevance and Appeal to Youth’. In contrast to the ‘homemade’, ‘entertaining’ and sometimes ‘glamourising’ presentation of the TikTok videos, educational resources adopted a serious tone and were often disengaging. Conclusions: Illicit vaping content differs between TikTok videos and educational resources, exhibiting differences in sentiment, information and youth appeal. TikTok videos typically receive high engagement and frequently depict themes of apathy towards the law, entertainment and shared experience. Educational resources are generally of good quality but contain limited information on illicit vape health risks and lack youth relevance.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | illicit vaping,tiktok,digital health communication,educational resources,social media marketing,underage access,youth vaping,medicine (miscellaneous),psychiatry and mental health,sdg 3 - good health and well-being ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2701 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Public Health |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Jun 2026 12:40 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Jun 2026 19:41 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/103365 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/add.70476 |
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