More than a third of vape users get their products from messaging platforms, 78% through Telegram: Survey
The illegal purchase of e-cigarettes — or e-vaporisers — is primarily done through messaging platforms, according to a survey by Milieu Insight published on Tuesday (July 29).The survey on the usage of and attitudes towards vapes and heated tobacco products was conducted via mobile devices from March 23 to April 8, 2025. Responses from 5,622 people in Singapore aged between 21 and 69 years of age were collected.According to the findings, messaging platforms are the primary channel through which users of such products get their supply.In the first quarter of 2025, 36.2 per cent of users indicated, in response to a multiple-choice query, that they used messaging platforms to buy their products.Among this group, more than 78 per cent use Telegram to buy vapes and heated tobacco products. Respondents also indicated that they got their products from overseas (30.7 per cent) and from friends and family (27.1 per cent).