Youth Access to Nicotine Pouches: Is Online Really the Problem?

Notice: This article is intended for information only and is aimed at adults. Nicotine products are addictive and should never be used by children or non-nicotine users.

Nicotine pouches have gone from niche to mainstream in just a few years. They’re now sold in supermarkets, corner shops and online retailers across the UK. But as their popularity has grown, so has concern about youth access – especially with headlines focusing on teens experimenting with pouches.

At first glance, it’s easy to assume that the internet is to blame. After all, everything seems easier to get online. But when you dig into the data, a different picture appears: the real weak spot is often the local high street, not the checkout page.

This article looks at how young people actually access nicotine pouches, why a regulatory loophole has made things easier than it should be, and what responsible retailers – online and offline – can do to better protect under-18s while preserving choice for adults.

1. The UK’s nicotine pouch loophole

In many countries, the rules are clear: you must be an adult to buy nicotine pouches.

• Sweden: minimum age 18
  

• USA: minimum age 21
  
  

In the UK, however, nicotine pouches currently sit in a grey area. They do not contain tobacco, so they fall outside the traditional tobacco and vaping regulations and instead sit under general product safety rules. 

The result?
There is no specific legal minimum age of sale for nicotine pouches in the UK at the moment. That doesn’t mean responsible retailers are selling to kids – many choose to apply 18+ rules voluntarily – but it does mean the law hasn’t caught up, and not every seller is playing by the same standards.

This gap is expected to close through the UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is designed to create a proper regulatory framework for nicotine pouches, including a legal age of sale. 

Until that happens, the system relies heavily on retailers’ own policies and on how well age checks are carried out both in-store and online.

2. Who is actually using nicotine pouches?

It’s easy to assume nicotine pouches are a “teen trend,” but survey data from Haypp and its sister site Northerner tells a different story.

From a UK survey of almost 1,300 nicotine pouch customers:

• The typical age of first pouch use is around 33 years old.
  

• Only about 3% of respondents said they tried pouches before the age of 18.
  
  

So while youth use is a serious concern – and any underage access is a problem – the core pouch customer base is clearly adult. That’s an important reminder: this is primarily a product used by adults, many of whom are switching from cigarettes or other nicotine products.

3. Perception vs reality: where minors really get pouches

One of the most interesting findings in the Haypp/Northerner survey is the difference between what people think is happening and what is actually happening.

When adults were asked where they believe it’s easiest for minors to buy nicotine pouches:

• 61% thought online was the easiest route.
  
  

But when the survey focused specifically on people who said they had bought nicotine pouches while under 18, a different pattern emerged:

• 56% said they bought them from corner shops
  

• 31% got them from friends
  

• 17% bought them in supermarkets
  

• Only 21% said they had purchased pouches online
  
  

So while the public conversation often frames the internet as the main risk, the dominant source for underage access appears to be offline retail, particularly smaller shops with weaker age-check practices.

This trend mirrors patterns seen with vaping: surveys of underage vape users also show that the majority who bought products themselves did so from brick-and-mortar retailers, not websites.

4. Age verification: online vs offline

The big difference between online and offline sales isn’t just convenience – it’s how age verification works.

In-store checks

In physical shops, age checks typically rely on:

• Staff asking for ID at the till
  

• Shop policies (e.g. “Challenge 25”)
  

• Training and enforcement by managers
  
  

In practice, this can work very well – but it also depends on human judgement and pressure. A busy shift, lack of training, or deliberate rule-breaking can all lead to underage sales.

Online checks

Reputable online retailers use digital age-verification tools. These may include:

• ID checks against credit reference or electoral databases
  

• Document scans or ID upload
  

• Age checks at both account creation and checkout
  
  

Done properly, digital systems have some important strengths:

• They can make age checks mandatory, not optional.
  

• They produce a traceable record of verification.
  

• They remove the “awkwardness factor” of staff deciding whether to challenge a customer.
  
  

This doesn’t mean all online sellers get it right – some don’t use robust verification at all – but it does show why well-implemented digital checks can actually be more consistent than relying solely on in-store staff.

5. The role of responsible retailers

Until a full legal framework is in place, retailers are on the front line of youth protection.

Some companies choose to go beyond the bare legal minimum by applying strict 18+ rules even before the law demands it. For example, Haypp and Northerner state that they use 100% age verification on all customers before an order can be placed, instead of only checking a subset of orders.

Across the sector, responsible retailers – both online and offline – can:

• Treat nicotine pouches as strictly 18+ even where not yet mandated.
  

• Implement robust age-verification systems (digital tools online, consistent ID checks in store).
  

• Train staff to refuse sales to under-18s and challenge when in doubt.
  

• Avoid marketing, imagery or flavour descriptions that obviously appeal to children.
  

• Work with regulators and industry bodies to close loopholes and support enforcement.
  
  

This approach protects young people while still allowing adult smokers and nicotine users to choose products that fit their needs and preferences.

6. What happens next? Regulation and enforcement

When the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is fully implemented, it’s expected to:

• Introduce a minimum age of sale for nicotine pouches in the UK.
  

• Provide a clearer regulatory framework for these products.
  

• Allow for rules on marketing, strength, packaging and display, similar to other nicotine products.
  
  

However, regulation on paper isn’t enough. Two things will decide how effective it really is:

1. Enforcement
   

• Trading standards and other authorities need the resources and powers to act against retailers – online and offline – who sell to minors or ignore the rules.
  

2. Implementation by retailers
   

• Even the best law relies on shops and websites actually doing the right thing: investing in age verification, training staff, and refusing to cut corners for the sake of a quick sale.
  

If those pieces come together, the UK can move towards a system where:

• Adults can still access nicotine pouches as an alternative to smoking or other products.
  
  

Children and teenagers are effectively protected from starting to use nicotine in the first place.