Illegal vape sellers are exploiting social media platforms to promote nicotine-filled products to Australian audiences, despite a comprehensive ban on vape advertising introduced in 2024. Experts are now calling for tougher enforcement, including fines for platforms that allow such content to remain online.
Widespread promotion across platforms
Guardian Australia identified a network of posts on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube that advertise illegal vape products. The accounts display popular vape brands and direct viewers to order via private messages or encrypted apps like WhatsApp. Many posts claim to ship from local Australian warehouses within days. Some content appears AI-generated or boosted as paid advertising on TikTok.
Professor Becky Freeman, a public health researcher at the University of Sydney, described the posts as “so blatant, they’re not even bothering to hide it.” She said the current approach—removing individual ads—is like a “whack-a-mole” strategy that fails to address the root cause.
TGA enforcement actions
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is responsible for enforcing Australia’s anti-vaping laws. Between January 2024 and June 2026, the TGA removed over 8,500 unlawful vape advertising posts from social media and redirected more than 390 websites illegally advertising vaping goods. It has issued over 90 infringement notices, resulting in more than $1.5 million in fines. The TGA stated it “took signals of non-compliance seriously” and worked closely with online platforms to deter unlawful advertising.
Calls for platform accountability
Professor Freeman argued that enforcement should target platforms as well as individual sellers. “These platforms aren’t doing the job that they promised they would do,” she said. “Rather than just this approach where we take these ads down … the platforms themselves should be fined for allowing this content to go up in the first place.”
TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube each confirmed that the identified content violated their community guidelines. A TikTok spokesperson said the platform prohibits “trading, marketing, or providing access to tobacco, drugs, and other regulated substances” and works to proactively remove such content. Meta (Instagram) encouraged users to report breaches, and YouTube noted its rules apply to all forms of content, including descriptions and live streams. All three platforms reported banning or terminating the accounts identified by Guardian Australia.
Ongoing challenges
Despite these measures, illegal vape ads continue to circulate. The accounts involved did not respond to requests for comment. The TGA remains aware of thousands of similar posts and is taking “strong and sustained” action, but experts say more rigorous platform-level enforcement and harsher penalties are needed to curb the problem effectively.
