Doctors threaten Snapchat with lawsuit over illegal vape trade: 'This has to stop'

Doctors are fed up: If Snapchat does not intervene within two weeks against the sale of illegal vapes via the platform, legal action will follow.

According to the Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation, which includes doctors, Snapchat violates European regulations and therefore runs the risk of a fine of millions.

Snapchat is popular among young people, and that is where the problem lies. According to the Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation, the platform is used as a marketplace for vapes. Young people say they can easily find dealers via the app, often even with discounts if they spread the ads further.

"Sellers simply create accounts or post promos in stories. And those are often aimed at minors," Van Gijn tells AD . "Snapchat itself claims not to want a vape trade, but it still lets it happen. That has to stop."

Since 2024, the Digital Services Act has been in effect in the EU. This obliges platforms to actively combat harmful content, especially when it concerns minors. According to the doctors, Snapchat simply does not comply with this.

Van Gijn: "They also ban porn. Then you should also be able to filter on usernames with words like 'vape' or 'puff', or posts with flavors that are prohibited. If you can't block this, you shouldn't be accessible to young people under 18."

Doctors have been concerned about the growing number of vaping users for some time now. For example, lung specialists sounded the alarm earlier this year because of the health risks that vaping entails. And the Trimbos Institute discovered that a large proportion of young people who vape underestimate those health risks . It is also very addictive: around 40 percent of young people are addicted to vaping.

Since 2019, the percentage of young people who used an e-cigarette in the past month has increased from 14 to 22 percent. It is striking that girls more often indicate that they have ever tried an e-cigarette than boys (46 versus 41 percent).

If Snapchat does not intervene, an official complaint will follow with the Consumer and Market Authority and the European Commission. The fine? Up to 6 percent of the global annual turnover.

“Big Tech is not immune to this,” says Van Gijn. “The rules are clear. Prohibited products like flavored vapes simply do not belong on such a platform.” Cohen adds: “As doctors, we have taken an oath. If we see that young people are getting sick from something that can be prevented, we will intervene.”

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