00:00The Senate Health Committee flags loopholes in shopping apps that make e-cigarettes or vapes accessible to minors.
00:07Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes of the Baguio City Health Office reports 22% of local students aged 13 to 15
00:14have tried vaping, as noted in their 2023 Youth Tobacco Survey.
00:1837% say they can buy vapes easily regardless of existing regulations like the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products
00:25Regulation Act.
00:26Representatives of shopping platforms Shopee, Lazada, Facebook, and TikTok are asked how they prevent access by minors.
00:33The online platforms say they have verification systems that include a user's age.
00:38Vape listings supposedly do not appear in the general search results of minors.
00:42But the platform representatives admit sellers still get around systems by disguising vapes as other products.
00:48Senator Risa Ontiveros notes age verification methods offer little to no real security.
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