Created a Fake TikTok Profile – and Saw a Flood of Illegal Tobacco and Nicotine Ads
Researchers created a 13-year-old fake profile and were shown videos featuring tobacco and nicotine products, even though such content violates both Danish regulations and TikTok’s own guidelines.
When researchers from the National Institute of Public Health set up a fake TikTok account pretending to be a 13-year-old Danish girl interested in nicotine products, the profile was quickly exposed to nicotine pouches, colourful vapes, and “mega cans” containing hundreds of nicotine pouches. This happened despite the fact that advertising tobacco and nicotine products is illegal in Denmark – and despite TikTok’s official guidelines, which clearly prohibit this type of content for underage users.
The study, recently published in the journal Tobacco Control, shows that Danish children and teenagers can, without great effort, be exposed to content that functions as advertising for harmful products they are not allowed to buy – and which the platform should, in theory, shield them from.
Wanted to see whether it was even possible
The initial purpose of the experiment was quite straightforward, explains research assistant Stine Arp, who helped conduct the study.
“We were mainly curious to see whether a 13-year-old could access this kind of content at all. So we created a profile that TikTok would interpret as a minor. Then we could explore what was actually available and how it was presented,” she says.
The researchers created the profile in November last year and scrolled through the platform’s “For You” page a few times a week until April. At first, mostly harmless content appeared – dance videos and animal clips – but as soon as the profile began searching for nicotine-related keywords, the feed changed dramatically.
“Once the algorithm realised that the profile was interested in nicotine, it kept pushing large amounts of content in that category. We also saw content about cannabis, MDMA, self-harm and suicide – topics we had not searched for ourselves,” says Stine Arp.
Shown alongside lip gloss and toys
The profile encountered a wide range of products: XL-sized nicotine pouches, “puff bars” in flavours like strawberry and cola, vapes with touch screens, and nicotine-pouch advent calendars. Some products were displayed next to a lip gloss, alongside toys, in connection with weight training, or as part of a Halloween costume.
Some videos came from webshops, often from Sweden, the UK, or the US. These typically showcased large product stocks, discounts, or giveaways. Others came from anonymous sellers trying to move potential buyers onto encrypted messaging apps like Telegram. And then there was content from ordinary users – often memes or everyday situations where nicotine products were featured.
“Many of the retailers had a link on their profile leading either to a website or to Instagram, where you could then access a webshop. From there, you could place an order and have the products delivered, given that they are shipping to Denmark. We didn’t pursue that part, as our focus was solely on observing,” Stine Arp explains.
She stresses that the study does not reflect what any 13-year-old may see on TikTok, as the researchers actively searched for tobacco and nicotine products.
“Other users will be interested in other topics, that the algorithm will include in its recommendations, and they wouldn’t be exposed to nicotine products as frequently as our profile was. But the key point of the study is that the content is available to a 13-year-old’s profile despite rules and legislation,” she says.
Normalising harmful products
Senior researcher Lotus Sofie Bast, who studies tobacco and nicotine prevention among children and young people and co-authored the study, sees the findings as a significant concern.
“Exposure can help normalise a product and potentially lead viewers to think that tobacco and nicotine products aren’t as dangerous or harmful as they actually are. And the visual pairing – with everyday objects, humour, trends, or identity cues – can make the content especially influential for young people who don’t yet have a fully developed understanding of risk,” she says.
Crosses borders with ease
Although Denmark bans advertising of tobacco and nicotine products on social media, protecting young people from content shared by foreign retailers or private users remains difficult.
According to Lotus Sofie Bast, platforms like TikTok contain types of content, mechanisms, and practices that undermine Danish legislation. One reason is that the promotion of tobacco and nicotine products crosses borders effortlessly on international platforms that do not enforce their own rules strictly enough.
“We have to take this seriously if we want to protect children and young people. Social media should be considered just as important an arena for prevention as schools, homes, or youth environments,” she says.
Contact: Research assistant Stine Arp, tel. +45 2118 5985, e-mail: stia@sdu.dk, and senior researcher Lotus Sofie Bast, tel. +45 2855 8008, e-mail: loni@sdu.dk, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark.