A Dutch anti-smoking group has threatened SnapChat with legal action, accusing the social media platform of enabling illicit vape sales to minors.
Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd claims SnapChat is failing to comply with European Union (EU) digital safety rules.
Although flavoured vapes have been banned in the Netherlands for over a year, they remain widely available online, including via SnapChat. Public health experts who support vaping as a safer alternative to smoking argue the continued popularity of these products highlights the flaws of prohibition-based policies.
Lung pathologist Daniëlle Cohen expressed concerns over youth usage, saying:
“Snapchat is the place for vape dealers to reach teens, children tell us,’” she said. “We see an increasing number of young people with a serious addiction to nicotine from using these products, with huge consequences for their mental and physical health.”
But many in the harm reduction field argue such narratives ignore the broader context, that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking and has helped millions of adults around the world reduce or quit combustible tobacco.
The need to address underlying demand
They warn that bringing in stricter laws while failing to address the underlying demand for vapes may only drive them further underground. Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd insists SnapChat should act to stop the promotion and sale of vapes through its platform.
“We are demanding that SnapChat step up their efforts to exclude this sort of content,” lawyer Laura van Gijn told broadcaster NOS, referencing the EU’s Digital Services Act. “If SnapChat can recognise and exclude naked pictures, it can exclude the promotion of vapes,” she added. Selling vapes to anyone under 18 is already illegal in the Netherlands, and a proposal is underway to raise the minimum age to 21.
SnapChat has been given two weeks by Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd to comply. If it fails to do so, a formal complaint will be filed with Dutch regulator ACM and the European Commission.
Research by the Trimbos Institute shows that one in five people under 25 vapes, and 70 per cent of them also smoke tobacco. Harm reduction advocates argue that rather than condemning this overlap, policymakers should recognise it as a chance to steer young smokers toward safer alternatives.
Dangers of pushing young people to illicit products
While media attention has focused on health incidents, many experts caution that these events often involve illicit or contaminated products, not regulated e-liquids. They warn that overzealous restrictions risk backfiring by encouraging black market sales.
In May, a widely circulated claim that “nearly 40 per cent of Dutch youth aged 12 to 16 are addicted to vaping” was revealed to be based on the responses of just eight teenagers.
The figure came from a survey by research agency Motivaction for the “No to Vaping” public health campaign, launched by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). Of the 760 teens polled, only 20 said they currently vape. Just eight reported feeling addicted.
