Instagram to crack down on vaping in sponsored content

Instagram is cracking down on vaping products that appear in sponsored content, often referred to as #sponcon on the platform.

In a blog post, the company announced it will no longer allow influencers to post promoted content involving “goods such as vaping, tobacco products and weapons.” 

Oddly, the company notes that its “advertising policies have long prohibited the advertisement of these products.” But it seems Instagram hasn’t previously enforced the policy, saying it now intends to start cracking down on that sponsored content “in the coming weeks.”

Vaping companies have come under fire for using Instagram to promote their products to teens. Juul shut down its social media accounts, including Instagram, last year after widespread criticism that the company’s early ad campaigns were aimed at young, non-smokers. 

Instagram is also cracking down on promotional posts related to diet supplements and alcohol. While influencers will still be able promote these products, the posts “will require special restrictions” set to begin in 2020. What’s more, Instagram says it’s building a tool that will allow influencers to create age restrictions for specific posts. 

The new rules come alongside another update for influencers: A feature called “Brand Collabs Manager” which allows influencers to share post metrics directly with the brands they are working with. An extension of a similar tool available on Facebook, this opens up a dashboard where an influencer’s advertising partner can view analytics related to their posts.

As Instagram has been experimenting with hiding likes, some influencers have expressed concern that removing like counts could make it more difficult for them to make deals with sponsors. Brand Collabs Manager could be a way for the company to address these concerns. This dashboard could also address a potential security concern. 

Marketing agencies and brands often ask Instagrammers to hand over analytics data about their accounts before they’ll sign them to high-dollar deals. But some hackers have started taking advantage of these arrangements by spoofing third-party analytics services in order to hack into high-profile accounts. So, a dedicated tool within Instagram that lets users share this data with potential sponsors could help prevent those kinds of issues. 

The company says it’s starting to test the Brand Collabs Manager with a group of 40 accounts, but it’s not clear when it might be more widely available.