Describing ZYN-Related Content on TikTok: Content Analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Digital Media Studies
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• Nicotine pouches are a rapidly growing category of oral smokeless nicotine products.
• Concerns exist regarding the appeal of nicotine pouches to young people.
• Limited research has explored discussions of nicotine pouches on TikTok, a platform popular with youth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the content of TikTok posts related to the leading nicotine pouch brand, ZYN.
• To identify prevalent themes and characteristics of ZYN-related content on TikTok.
• To assess the potential influence of this content on youth perceptions and behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A content analysis was performed on 665 publicly available TikTok posts using 10 ZYN-related hashtags.
• Data were collected between January 2023 and February 2024 via the TikTok Application Programming Interface.
• Posts were coded for themes including marketing, product use, health warnings, and demographics; engagement metrics and account types were also recorded.

Main Results:

• Humor (87.4%) and product use (56.8%) were the most common themes.
• Young individuals (under 30) appeared in 48.3% of posts; males featured in 61.5%.
• Cessation was a rare theme (1.8%), with most posts originating from non-commercial accounts (63.1%).

Conclusions:

• ZYN-related TikTok content predominantly features pro-tobacco themes, such as humor and product promotion, with minimal anti-tobacco messaging.
• TikTok may contribute to normalizing tobacco and nicotine product use, including ZYN, among adolescents and young adults.
• Digital media literacy interventions are crucial to protect youth from pro-tobacco content online, alongside policy enforcement.