A UBC Okanagan researcher is warning that TikTok is normalizing nicotine pouches and making them look trendy — especially to young people.

Nicotine pouches, small packets placed between the gum and cheek, are authorized by Health Canada to help adults quit smoking but are not permitted for anyone under 18.

Associate professor Dr. Laura Struik and her team at UBCO’s School of Nursing reviewed 250 TikTok videos that, according to the platform’s metrics, had been shared nearly two million times and received more than 16 million likes. Many creators highlighted how discreet the pouches are and promoted them as something that “naturally fit” into everyday life.

“You can use it no matter what you’re doing, whether you’re exercising or socializing,” Struik said, adding that creators also framed pouch use as a way to belong to a group — an angle that can be especially appealing to teenagers still shaping their identities.

The concern comes as youth use rises. A cross-sectional U.S. survey study found nicotine pouch use among high school students nearly doubled between 2023 and 2024.

Despite the upbeat portrayals, only six per cent of the videos addressed serious health risks tied to prolonged use, such as gum recession, oral cancer, and heart problems. For young people, the stakes are higher: nicotine disrupts brain development and can impair memory, learning, stress regulation, and impulse control.

Health Canada has authorized only two pouch brands for sale in Canada — Zonnic and NEÖ — but Struik said young people are still finding and buying unauthorized brands online, at convenience stores and in vape shops. “The regulations are there, but the enforcement clearly is lacking,” she said.

Policy responses are underway. British Columbia was the first jurisdiction to act, and in 2024 moved buccal (cheek) nicotine pouches behind the pharmacy counter. A provincial health ministry statement said the measure lets pharmacists exercise professional judgment and helps prevent youth access, with regional health officers monitoring compliance.

The federal government announced similar steps months later, citing concerns that nicotine replacement therapies were being used recreationally by people under 18. Federal measures banned advertising that might appeal to youth, limited sales to pharmacists or those supervised by them, and restricted flavours to mint or menthol. Health Canada said it is coordinating with the Canada Border Services Agency, the RCMP, and provincial and territorial public health units to stop unauthorized products from reaching consumers.

Since 2024, Health Canada says it has handled more than 300 compliance cases over unauthorized nicotine pouch sales or advertising, issuing notices, conducting site visits and seizing products.

Struik argues that young people should help shape rules and messaging around pouches. “We need young people to be driving the messaging,” she said. “Youth know their context. Adults just simply don’t — we don’t understand it.”

This article was adapted from an original report published on cbc.ca. All rights belong to the original publisher.