Vaping, Culture and Influence: Why Responsible Brands Need to Stay Ahead

Vaping did not enter popular culture in quite the same way cigarettes did.

Its cultural presence was shaped less by decades of cinema and more by a different environment: social media, online communities and, importantly, the people around us.

For younger audiences, that distinction matters. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies social influence as one of several factors associated with youth vaping and reports that the most common reason middle and high school students give for first trying an e-cigarette is that a friend used one.^[1]

That does not mean peer pressure alone explains youth vaping. Curiosity, flavours, teen-focused marketing exposure, stress and nicotine itself can all play a role.

But it does raise an important question for the industry: when a product can become part of a social environment, how should responsible brands prepare?

Influence no longer comes from one screen

Pop culture today is not limited to films, television, or celebrities. It happens through a feed.

A product can appear in a video, a photograph, a meme or someone’s everyday social content before reaching thousands of other screens. More importantly, people increasingly influence one another directly.

CDC data illustrates the scale of that environment. In 2021, approximately 74% of US middle and high school students who used social media reported seeing e-cigarette-related posts or content. Among students who used e-cigarettes, friends were also an important source of access: 32.3% reported obtaining them from a friend.^[1]

The issue therefore extends beyond conventional advertising.

A brand may communicate to an intended adult audience, but the product itself can travel into spaces the brand does not directly control — through consumers, retailers, social media and peer groups. This is where responsibility must extend beyond a disclaimer.

Youth vaping remains a concern, even as rates fall

There has been progress in the realm. According to the 2024 US National Youth Tobacco Survey, current e-cigarette use among middle and high school students declined from 2.13 million in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024 — the lowest level recorded in a decade.^[2]

That decline is significant and should be recognised.

At the same time, e-cigarettes remained the most commonly reported tobacco product used by US middle and high school students in 2024, with 5.9% reporting use within the previous 30 days.^[2]

Globally, the picture varies considerably by market. The World Health Organization has also raised concerns about the visibility of nicotine products through social media, influencers, flavours and product presentation, particularly where these elements may appeal to younger audiences.^[3]

For responsible brands, the appropriate response is not simply to state that products are intended for adults. It is to demonstrate it.

Adult-only should influence the entire brand

Age restriction cannot live only in the footer of a website.

It should influence how a brand looks, where it appears, who represents it and how partners communicate on its behalf. That means asking more difficult questions before content goes live. Regulators are increasingly explicit about these expectations.

In the UK, for example, CAP rules state that permitted e-cigarette marketing must not be directed at people under 18, must not be particularly appealing to under-18s and must not feature people using e-cigarettes — or playing a significant role — who are or appear to be under 25. Marketing must also not be placed in media where more than 25% of the audience is under 18.^[4]

Different markets have different regulations, but the underlying principle should travel well, knows who the product is for and builds the communication around that audience.

Brands cannot control everything, but they can control their standards

No company can completely control how an adult consumer discusses or displays a product after purchasing.

Brands can, however, control what they publish, amplify, and incentivise.

They can establish clear standards for influencers and commercial partners. They can avoid reposting content involving underage or ambiguously young-looking individuals. They can review audience data before selecting channels. They can train distributors and retailers on appropriate communication. And they can treat age assurance as an operational responsibility rather than a marketing statement.

Just as importantly, brands should monitor how their products are being perceived.

If a product unexpectedly begins circulating within youth-oriented online culture, that should be treated as a signal requiring attention — not as organic reach to celebrate.

Responsible marketing sometimes means knowing which attention you do not want.

Preparing for the culture around the product

Vaping occupies a complicated position in contemporary culture.

For adults who already smoke or use nicotine, smoke-free products exist within an entirely different context from underage experimentation. Responsible communication must preserve that distinction.

That becomes increasingly important in a culture where influence is decentralised. A brand is no longer shaped solely by its advertising campaign. It is shaped by retailers, creators, consumers, algorithms and the communities in which its products appear.

Brands therefore need to prepare for more than compliance.

They need governance.

Clear audiences. Clear creative boundaries. Responsible channel selection. Partner standards. Monitoring. And the willingness to act when communication begins reaching people it was never intended for.

Because in an age of peer influence and social media, being an adult-only brand should not simply be something a company says.

It should be visible in how the brand behaves.

Sources

1.     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why Youth Vape. Updated 17 October 2024.
2.     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / US Food and Drug Administration. National Youth Tobacco Survey 2024; current youth e-cigarette use declined from 2.13 million in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024.
3.     World Health Organization. Hooking the Next Generation: How the Tobacco Industry Captures Young Customers. 2024.
4.     UK Committee of Advertising Practice. Electronic Cigarettes: Children and Young People and CAP Code Section 22. Updated June 2026.