Ad watchdog the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has issued an enforcement notice to advertisers promoting “nicotine-containing electronic cigarette products”, or vapes, on social media.
The prohibitions cover posts on e-cigarette advertisers’ social media accounts, including photos, images, text and videos on platforms including Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Medically licensed products are exempt.
After 28 March, CAP will be deploying the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA)’s AI-based ‘Active Ad Monitoring system’ to scan for social media accounts that breach these rules.
Shahriar Coupal, Secretary of CAP, said: “The law prohibits e-cigarette ads appearing on most social media accounts, so it's simply unacceptable for companies to advertise in these spaces.
“AI-assisted monitoring tells us that these companies are typically small traders promoting e-cigarettes through their social media accounts or incentivising others to do so, most likely in ignorance of our rules and the law.
“Our Enforcement Notice leaves traders in no doubt about their obligations under both and makes clear that e-cigarette promotions through social media channels need to stop. For those that fail to do so, we and our enforcement partners won’t hesitate to sanction them.”
CAP is a non-governmental organisation that writes the advertising rules enforced by the ASA.
The UK government has ramped up its crusade against underaged vaping by throwing its weight behind a sweeping ban on single-use vapes.