Changes in Viewer Engagement and Accessibility of Popular Vaping Videos on TikTok: A 12-Month Prospective Study.

Brienna N RutherfordTianze SunCarmen C W LimJack Yiu Chak ChungBrandon ChengLily DavidsonCalvert TisdaleJanni K Y Leung Daniel StjepanovićJason P ConnorGary C K Chan

Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health (2022)

Whilst the depiction type and thematic distribution of removed videos suggest that TikTok may be removing a small proportion of content that promotes the use of e-cigarettes, metadata of remaining videos indicate an increase in viewer engagement. TikTok's removal of explicit substance-related hashtags from the platform could be a step towards preventing adolescents from being exposed to harmful behaviours and substances online. However, the platform should consider enforcing effective age restrictions on content that promotes substance use in a positive light.

Keyphrases

social media
high throughput
young adults
physical activity
health information
smoking cessation
healthcare