IKE Tech study: 49% favor age verification for vapes at point of use

Youths have it too easy accessing vaping products across the U.S. is the warning from a new report.

Identity verification company IKE Tech has found enforcement gaps and legal loopholes enable the accessibility of flavored disposable vapes, many of which are technically banned, despite federal efforts to curb the trend.

The study surveyed 5,000 respondents across the U.S. and UK, including 500 American teenagers aged 15 to 17. Half of all participants cited peer pressure and social influence as the main reasons young people begin vaping, while 40 percent of teens pointed to curiosity and experimentation.

A striking 87 percent said vapes are often shared by friends or siblings, and 63 percent believe current age checks are easily bypassed. The report also found that 73 percent of respondents think underage users purchase vapes online, while 67 percent say they buy them in stores with little or no age verification.

IKE Tech’s report proposes a new approach centered on digital age verification. Nearly half of respondents (46 percent) support checks at the point of sale, while 49 percent favor verification at the point of use. This includes biometric identification digital “child locks” embedded in devices. Among teens, point-of-use technology was seen as the most effective deterrent, with 55 percent backing the idea. Support for innovation was also strong among adult vapers, 89 percent of whom said they would buy devices equipped with such safeguards.

The rise in youth vaping has coincided with a booming illicit market. Unauthorized flavored disposables generated an estimated $2.4 billion in U.S. sales in 2024, accounting for 35 percent of e-cigarette purchases from convenience stores and supermarkets.

In June, IKE Tech received an Acceptance Review letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) relating to a blockchain and Bluetooth-based tokenized age assurance system built into nicotine vapes.

IKE’s tech integrates a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chip system, so vapes can connect to a mobile app, enabling “secure, continuous age and identity verification.” Identity and age checks are carried out within the app through third-party identity verification providers.

Looking ahead, only 43 percent of respondents believe underage vaping will decline by 2030. Most agree that tougher penalties for retailers, smarter tech solutions, and better education for parents and teens are essential to reversing the trend. “The FDA has taken bold steps in restricting flavored e-cigarettes, but enforcement gaps remain, especially with online sales and black market products,” says John Patterson, President of IKE Tech.

“By integrating age verification directly into the device, we go beyond packaging restrictions and sales bans to ensure that only adults can access these products, no matter where or how they’re sold,” he continued. “It’s time to complement federal regulation with innovative tools that actually work in the real world.”

IKE Tech’s report, “The first vape-free youth generation: The critical role of technology to end underage access and illicit sales,” is the company’s call to action for tech innovations to stem youth access to vaping.

Article Topics

age verification  |  identity verification  |  IKE Tech  |  mobile app  |  retail biometrics