Social media and teen interest in e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products
Project 4
This project looks at how social media posts about e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products might make teens more likely to try them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11164656 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will gather public TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and other platform posts that show e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products and code them for features like flavors, influencer presence, concealability, and young-looking models. They will analyze which kinds of posts get more likes, shares, and other engagement. Then selected posts will be shown to teenagers and young adults to see whether that content increases their interest or willingness to try these products. The work aims to pinpoint which social media features are most appealing to young people so that policies and education can target those elements.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are teenagers and young adults who regularly use platforms like TikTok or Instagram and are willing to view social media content for research.
Not a fit: Adults who do not use social media and people already dependent on nicotine are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could inform rules, warnings, and prevention messages to reduce youth appeal of nicotine products on social media.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked social media vaping content to youth interest, but testing the effects of specific features (like flavor cues or influencer posts) on platforms such as TikTok is more recent and less studied.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, UNITED STATES
- University of Southern California — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Unger, Jennifer Beth — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Unger, Jennifer Beth
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.