Vaping on TikTok: a systematic thematic analysis.
Tob Control
; 32(2): 251-254, 2023 03.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34312317
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The rising popularity of TikTok among adolescents may influence their awareness and perceptions of e-cigarette use via user-generated content. This study aimed to examine how e-cigarette/vaping-related videos are portrayed on TikTok.METHODS:
The nine most viewed hashtag based keywords were used to identify popular e-cigarette/vaping-related videos on TikTok (n=1000) from its inception (earliest upload date January 2019) to November 2020. Five researchers independently coded the number of views, likes, user category and theme.RESULTS:
A final sample of 808 e-cigarette/vaping-related videos that met study criteria were included. Collectively, these videos were viewed over 1.5 billion times, with a median view count of 1 000 000 (range 112 900-78 600 000) and a median 'likes' count of 143 000 (range 10 000-1 000 000). A majority of the videos portrayed e-cigarette use positively (63%; collectively viewed over 1.1 billion times). Neutral depictions of e-cigarette use were viewed a total of 290 million times (24%) and negative depictions of e-cigarettes were viewed a total of 193 million times (13%). The video themes included (not mutually exclusively) 'comedy and joke' (52%; total of 618 million views), 'lifestyle and acceptability' (35%; 459 million), 'marketing' (29%; 392 million), 'vaping tricks' (20%; 487 million), 'nicotine and addiction' (20%; 194 million), 'creativity' (16%; 322 million) and 'warning' (11%; 131 million).CONCLUSION:
Our findings illustrated that positively framed e-cigarette and vaping-related postings available without age restrictions on TikTok-a rising video-sharing platform that is popular among adolescents-have been viewed many times. Effective age restrictions are needed to reduce adolescents' potential exposure to videos that portray vaping positively.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Social Media
/
Tobacco Products
/
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
/
Vaping
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Tob Control
Journal subject:
TRANSTORNOS RELACIONADOS COM SUBSTANCIAS
Year:
2023
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Australia