The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned 10 companies to stop making products that allow teens to vape without getting caught by parents or teachers.
The products include a backpack and sweatshirt designed with hidden pockets to hold and conceal an e-cigarette; vaping products that look like smartwatches; and devices that look like children’s toys such as a portable video game system or fidget spinner, HealthDay reports. The FDA also issued warning letters to companies marketing e-liquids with packaging that looks like candy, or that feature cartoon characters like SpongeBob.
“Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not lost our focus on protecting youth against the dangers of e-cigarettes and will do everything we can to take action,” Mitch Zeller, Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a news release.