A recent study published in the BMJ’s Tobacco Control found that JUUL’s e-cigarette advertising uses social media to target youth, despite the risk of JUUL health issues, especially in young people.

The study included a review of more than 15,000 social media posts from a three-month period in 2018. About 30 percent of the included posts were promotional (that is, linking or otherwise leading to places where JUUL products could be purchased). About half of the posts also contained “youth” and “youth lifestyle” themes, according to the study.

JUUL has argued that since many of the social media posts about its products are generated by its users (that is, people are taking pictures and posting about using JUUL vaping products of their own volition) that the company claims it could not control.

However, this sidesteps the very purpose of social media marketing, which relies on users sharing posts as well as creating their own content in order to spread more widely and also move into word of mouth territory instead of just direct marketing from the company itself.

In fact, the chief administrative officer at JUUL, Ashley Gould, told CNN that “we were completely surprised by the youth usage of the product.”

Dr. Robert Jackler, founder of the Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising, responded to the idea that the company didn’t know about its product’s appeal to underage kids: “I don’t believe that, not for a minute, because they’re also a very digital, very analytical company.

“They know their market,” he said. “They know what they’re doing.”

JUUL came under fire by both educational and government agencies in 2016 for targeting youth with its campaign despite the risk of JUUL health issues. It wasn’t until late last year that it made an attempt to limit the youth-focused advertising it put out on social media accounts.

According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), social media posts about JUUL have been growing rapidly for the last few years. In 2017, the number of tweets about JUUL grew to 17 times the number of those posted in 2016, according to one study.

Another study cited in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that about a quarter of the users who were retweeting the company in and around 2017 were under the age of 18.

Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free kids, told CNN that the JUUL social media phenomenon “just keeps going.”

“Once you get kids doing it, you don’t have to pay for it,” he said. “It takes off on its own, and you continue to get the financial benefit.”

JUUL products are also advertised as a method of helping people stop smoking. However, in a 2015 interview with Verge, a JUUL research and development engineer said “we don’t think a lot about addiction here because we’re not trying to design a cessation product at all. Anything about health is not on our mind.”

If you or someone you love has suffered from JUUL health issues like nicotine addiction or even seizures, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.

Join a Free JUUL E-Cigarette Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or your child suffered seizures after vaping with a JUUL e-cigarette, you may benefit from participating in a free JUUL class action lawsuit investigation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented 
for informational purposes only.