Characterizing e-Cigarette-Related Videos on TikTok: Observational Study.

Area of Science:

• Social Media Analysis
• Public Health Communication
• Digital Media Studies

Background:

• TikTok is a popular platform for short videos, frequently featuring content related to e-cigarettes or vaping.
• Youth engagement with vaping content on social media platforms like TikTok is a growing public health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the characteristics of e-cigarette or vaping-related videos on TikTok.
• To assess user engagement metrics for these videos.
• To understand the nature of vaping content shared among youth on TikTok.

Main Methods:

• Collected 417 TikTok videos using vaping-related hashtags from October 2018 to February 2021.
• Hand-coded videos for category and stance (pro-vaping or anti-vaping).
• Compared user engagement (likes, comments, shares) across video categories and stances.

Main Results:

• 92.8% of videos were pro-vaping, focusing on tricks, advertisements, and trends.
• Pro-vaping videos categorized as "TikTok trend" showed significantly higher engagement.
• Anti-vaping videos were less common and primarily focused on trends and education, with educational content receiving lower engagement.

Conclusions:

• Pro-vaping content dominates TikTok, particularly videos showcasing vaping tricks, advertisements, and trends.
• The "TikTok trend" video category demonstrates higher user engagement, suggesting its effectiveness in content dissemination.
• Findings underscore the need for targeted public health strategies and potential policy interventions regarding vaping content on social media.