Worth noting: cannabis vaping devices targeting children are being sold on TikTok

Electronic cigarettes designed with The Simpsons and candy brand themes are openly advertised on TikTok, raising concerns about the safety of illegal smoking among children.<\/p>

This popular video-sharing platform among teenagers is being used to showcase products, including those containing cannabis oil.<\/p>

One vendor is promoting a "juice" shaped like fruit flavors, adorned with California cannabis logos, indicating that these products are legal in the U.S.<\/p>

However, the account promoted a Telegram page, indicating that transactions are conducted through this secure messaging app for delivery elsewhere.<\/p>

The Simpsons' watermelon-flavored e-cigarette, featuring Bart's image, and another e-cigarette showing Martin were also promoted in the videos.<\/p>

Another video showcased a cannabis product based on the design of "Shorties," inspired by the Smarties logo.<\/p>

Content discovered by Metro.co.uk has either been deleted or is under review by TikTok's trust and safety team, the platform stated today.<\/p>

According to another investigation by The Times, accounts promoting these products act as a storefront, directing customers to Telegram for orders.<\/p>

These videos began circulating amid concerns about children being hospitalized due to illegal smoking.<\/p>

Local governments across the country, including Essex, Hampshire, and Middlesbrough, have issued warnings over children fainting after using cannabis oil e-cigarettes in the past year.<\/p>

In June, according to Dr. Caroline Johnson, a councilor in Lincolnshire, eight children from a school in Sleaford were hospitalized within months due to smoking.<\/p>

In the following month, a 12-year-old boy at Oldham St. John Henry Newman Catholic College fainted after inhaling an e-cigarette containing synthetic herbs on the playground.<\/p>

Anton Noble, a youth mentor from the Guiding Young Minds project, which assists trauma care charities, conducts workshops in schools to raise awareness about e-cigarettes and substance abuse.<\/p>

He told Metro.co.uk: "Children see advertisements for e-cigarettes on TikTok, Snapchat, and in local stores, with some shop owners illegally selling these products to young kids. Children are also using 'add-ons' to make e-cigarettes function beyond expectations.<\/p>

"E-cigarettes and nitrous oxide are causing many children to experience respiratory issues and end up in the emergency room. If you go to the ER, you'll see many young people there who weren't there a few years ago. E-cigarettes have also become a gateway to drugs, which used to be cannabis. Schools tell us they are struggling to cope with the increasing number of children using e-cigarettes."<\/p>

These liquids contain potent synthetic cannabis like flavorings, which are illegal in the UK, as well as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) oil, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, also known as "juice."<\/p>

In October, the National Education Union in the UK warned that 85% of its members believe smoking on school grounds is a problem.<\/p>

Among 4,000 surveyed teachers, 75% believe the issue has increased over the past year, with some primary school teachers reporting that students as young as 10 are bringing these products onto campus.<\/p>

Anonymous experiences shared by respondents include "students getting sick and fainting on school grounds after consuming THC" and "upgrading from nicotine to THC and cannabis."<\/p>

Oliver Sutcliffe, director of Mandrake, told The Times that some oils now contain 90% THC concentration.<\/p>

All THC e-cigarettes analyzed by Mandrake in collaboration with Greater Manchester Police over the past 12 months have been used by students.<\/p>

Sutcliffe stated: "We have indeed seen a lot of high-concentration THC this year."<\/p>

According to UK law, individuals must be at least 18 years old to purchase and use e-cigarettes.<\/p>

The government is currently consulting on plans to combat this behavior, including restricting flavors and product descriptions to prevent them from being targeted at children.<\/p>

Official health advice states: "Due to nicotine content and unknown long-term harms, smoking poses health risks and lifelong addiction risks for children. The health advice is clear: young people and those who have never smoked should not smoke."<\/p>

TikTok's community guidelines state that content promoting the sale of e-cigarette products, e-cigarettes, or tobacco products is not allowed.<\/p>

The channel insists that 97.7% of videos violating policies regarding drugs, controlled substances, alcohol, and tobacco were deleted before being reported to the platform.<\/p>

A spokesperson stated: "We have reviewed the flagged accounts and found that content violating our community guidelines has been removed."#p#分页标题#e#<\/p>