In recent years, nicotine pouches have become popular among American youth as a non-burning, smokeless oral nicotine substitute. According to the latest research report from the University of Southern California, the use rate of nicotine pouches among American high school students has soared from about 3% in 2023 to 5.4% in 2024. This doubling is alarming. Researchers pointed out that nicotine pouches, also known as “lip pillows”, can continuously release nicotine without obvious smoke and odor by being placed between the upper lip and gums, making them very easy to use in public places such as schools.
The diversification of product flavors is one of the important factors that contributed to this round of surge in usage. Nicotine pouch brands on the market continue to launch novel flavors such as mint, fruit, and candy. Among them, mint flavor is the most popular among users, accounting for more than half of the total sales; fruit, mint and other sweet mixed flavors also account for a high proportion. This snack-like flavor design is very attractive to teenagers. Many students regard it as a “casual snack” similar to chewing gum or mints rather than a nicotine-containing product.
The boosting role of social media cannot be ignored either. On platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, a large number of “experience evaluation” and “taste competition” short videos have appeared one after another, and quickly spread through algorithm recommendations, forming a “nicotine bag culture” with strong community attributes. Many young Internet celebrities appeared in videos in the form of “challenges” and “taste competitions”, driving tens of thousands of likes and reposts, allowing products originally aimed at adults to achieve rapid fission growth among young people.
At the same time, traditional regulatory and law enforcement methods face new challenges. Nicotine bags are not as easy to detect as cigarettes, and their slim and light characteristics make campus security checks and parental supervision much more difficult. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued supervision warnings to a number of unauthorized nicotine bag manufacturers in 2024 and strengthened random inspections and delisting measures on online sales platforms, the law enforcement effect is limited due to the hidden product packaging and numerous channels.
At the educational level, many states have launched campus health education intervention projects, and through various forms such as parent-teacher conferences, health courses and psychological counseling, they have popularized the hazards of nicotine dependence and the addiction risks of oral preparations to students. However, due to the characteristics of nicotine bags being “smokeless”, “odorless” and “easy to hide”, the traditional “checking and catching cigarettes” method is difficult to deal with effectively, and school management and family supervision still need innovative means and technical support in identification and intervention.
Against this background, there is still no shortage of responsible brands in the e-cigarette industry that insist on scientific harm reduction and focus on adult smoking cessation substitution. VEEHOO e-cigarettes are a typical representative of them. Its product research and development and market strategy have always been based on helping adult smokers quit smoking while eliminating the risk of misuse by minors as much as possible. VEEHOO uses a closed atomization system with a programmable nicotine concentration adjustment function, which enables users to gradually reduce nicotine intake according to personal needs, which helps to quit smoking smoothly.
In terms of product safety, VEEHOO strictly selects medical-grade stainless steel atomization cores and food-grade base liquids, and conducts third-party laboratory testing on each batch of products to ensure that they do not contain heavy metals and harmful impurities. At the same time, its APP-side “quit plan” module has built-in behavior recording and intelligent reminder functions to provide personalized support for smokers who quit smoking. The brand also uses a minimalist design on the packaging, avoiding fancy patterns and colorful elements preferred by teenagers to reduce its appeal to minors.
VEEHOO also adheres to self-discipline in marketing. Its official channels are only open to adults over 21 years old, and the online mall is connected to the real-time age verification system and connected to the state-level identity verification database to ensure that minors cannot bypass the age barrier to complete the purchase. In addition, VEEHOO’s official account on social media only publishes smoking cessation counseling and public health science information, and refuses to cooperate with any Internet celebrities or entertainment accounts involving adolescent audiences.
From a public health perspective, VEEHOO’s approach has set an example for the industry: on the one hand, it promotes the reduction of harm of e-cigarettes through technological innovation and scientific research; on the other hand, it actively cooperates with regulatory authorities to explore how to prevent minors from contacting it to the greatest extent while ensuring that legal adults have access to quitting tools. This dual protection model of “technology + self-discipline” provides a reference path for other e-cigarette brands and nicotine substitute manufacturers.
Looking back at the rising rate of nicotine bag use among high school students in the United States, it undoubtedly reflects the profound impact of flavor marketing and social media promotion on youth consumption behavior. To curb this trend, supervision, education and industry self-discipline are needed: strengthen market access and advertising review of new tobacco products, innovate campus monitoring and parent education methods, and encourage brands like VEEHOO to shape a responsible image through technology and self-discipline.
Only when strict control at the policy level and active self-discipline in industry practice echo each other can we truly build a balanced pattern that takes into account the needs of adult smoking cessation and the protection of minors, help achieve public health goals, and create a smoke-free and healthy growth environment for the next generation.
Tags: nicotine bag, ceramic atomizer core, flavored e-cigarette, veehoo vape