The Kids Are Not Alright

Three years ago, the Philippines made a dangerous gamble. By passing Republic Act No. 11900—the “Vape Law”—legislators lowered the purchase age for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) from 21 to 18 and allowed online sales, theoretically to bring a booming gray market under regulatory control. Today, new research from the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at Johns Hopkins University confirms that this gamble has failed. The result is not a regulated marketplace, but a digital “Wild West” where Filipino youth are the primary targets.

The data, released Dec. 4, 2025, is a damning report card on the “21 to 18” policy shift. While neighboring nations like Singapore and Australia tighten restrictions, the Philippines’ liberalization has opened the floodgates. It is time for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Health (DOH) to admit that current enforcement mechanisms are obsolete against the “Big Tobacco 2.0” tactics of the algorithmic era.

The law technically prohibits flavor descriptors that appeal to minors, such as fruit or candy. Yet, the industry has simply pivoted to “concept flavors.” The IGTC study found descriptors like “Papa’s Harvest,” “White Freeze,” and “Grape Ice” rampant across brand websites. These terms are designed to bypass the harsh reality of nicotine addiction, selling a “sensation” rather than a drug.

This is psychological warfare. By using vague, sensory language, manufacturers obscure the chemical risks while signaling the sweet, candy-like experience that hooks first-time users. It is a direct recycling of cigarette advertising tactics from the 1970s, updated for a generation that lives on its phone.

Perhaps the most infuriating finding is the hypocrisy of the industry. Ten out of 15 brand websites analyzed claimed to be “responsible actors” or champions of “harm reduction.” Yet, these same brands utilized cartoons, party imagery, and fashion-focused appeals—tactics strictly associated with youth recruitment.

The complicity extends to the gatekeepers. Tech giants—Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, and YouTube—are failing to enforce their own community guidelines. The study found that 53 percent of sampled social media posts lacked any health warnings, and nearly 20 percent utilized cartoons or animated characters. When 70 percent of captions use emoticons to soften the image of an addictive product, the intent is clear: to frame vaping not as a smoking cessation tool for adults, but as a prerequisite for a “cool” lifestyle.

We cannot regulate this with half-measures. The current age-gating is a joke; researchers found that only 45 percent of social posts carried a “21+” label, and 34 percent had no age restriction at all. If a platform cannot guarantee that a viewer is an adult, it should not host the ad.

The solution is a total digital blackout. As suggested by Dr. Jenny Brown of IGTC, the government must consider prohibiting the depiction or mention of any tobacco or nicotine product on digital channels entirely. If the DTI cannot patrol 5,501 posts across 39 accounts effectively, the only enforceable policy is a complete ban on online brand presence.

Furthermore, we must close the “flavor loophole.” As long as non-tobacco flavors exist, marketers will find ways to signal them. A realistic policy would ban all flavors other than tobacco, removing the primary allure for youth.

Finally, accountability must trickle down. Influencers who trade their social capital to push nicotine on minors should face regulatory action. We need a system where citizens can report illegal ads, turning the public into the enforcement arm the DTI currently lacks.

The vape industry is prospering at the expense of the youngest among us. We lowered the guardrails in 2022; the data shows it is time to put up a wall.