#MiniCupVape E-Cigarettes Promoted on Instagram: A Youth Participatory Action Research Approach

Promotion of E-cigarettes is prolific on social media. With the emergence of disguisable E-cigarette products shaped like daily household items, miniature boba cups, and toys, detection by parents and educators is increasingly difficult. This study utilized youth participatory action research to characterize the promotion of miniature boba cup- and toy-shaped E-cigarettes on Instagram.

With the assistance of youth researchers enrolled in a service-learning course, 199 Instagram data that promoted boba cup- and toy-shaped E-cigarettes and were posted in July-December 2022 were collected in July 2024 using an application programing interface. Trained coders above the tobacco minimum sales age developed a codebook and independently annotated all posts from July 2024 to February 2025. After determining acceptable agreement, all discrepancies were discussed until consensus was met.

Instagram images (67%) and TikTok videos reposted on Instagram (74%) displayed illegal E-cigarette products that resembled miniature boba cups (77%), small cola cans (27%), and toy animals/collectable devices (15%). Posts portrayed young people (17%) using these devices (23%), and some displayed the mass production of these illegal E-cigarettes (11%). Text and emojis suggested that these products were for those aged >18 years (17%) and shipped internationally (35%).

Promotion of miniature boba cup-shaped and toy-shaped E-cigarettes on Instagram may attract youth. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state agencies should be aware that youth are exposed to these illegal products on social media. Platforms popular among youth need heightened surveillance and regulation to protect young audiences from pervasive marketing of nicotine and tobacco products.