Revealed: The unregulated nicotine product plaguing Britain's youths - and children can LEGALLY buy them

Naive teenagers are seemingly grooming each other into harmful addictions with nicotine pouches and are completely unaware of the dangerous consequences.The youngsters brag online about being able to tolerate the pain the products cause, bluntly telling each other that discomfort and nausea 'is normal'.But what if the pain becomes unbearable? They say don't stop using it, just put the pouch in a different part of the mouth that doesn't hurt.More than 4,000 users in an online community dedicated to nicotine pouches, chat about their addictions which involve more deadly substances such as LSD and Ecstasy.And in another community, which the Daily Mail is choosing not to name, a staggering 15,900 members similarly gather to discuss their shared battle with nicotine pouch addiction.Users on the messaging app spur each other on to continue using the white pouches which sit on the gum lining where the nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream.This is the reality of a frightening nicotine pouch phenomenon gripping young people from inside their own homes.And most worryingly, there are currently no regulations or age restrictions in place in the UK, meaning anyone, of any age, can legally buy them. Pictured: Nicotine pouch 'pods' on a table. The product is becoming increasingly popular in the UK A woman placing a white pouch into her gum lining where the nicotine is absorbed in the bloodstreamThat will change on October 29 this year, when the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 comes into effect.Until then, young people can purchase nicotine pouches freely, unless a seller chooses to enforce a voluntary age check.One online community user, called Marcus*, says that he was 15 when he started using nicotine pouches having switched from vaping.Now 17, he is unaware of the detrimental health implications nicotine pouches are having on his body, even sharing his experiences on Class-A drugs; LSD, Ecstasy and Mephedrone with users in the chat group.He boasts on the platform that he has been using nicotine pouches for two years and that he is 'such a veteran'.When asked what someone should do if their mouth is hurting from sustained pouch use, he simply says: 'Use the other side.'Another user who referred to himself as a 'nicotine pouch beginner', asked the group chat 'does anyone get nauseated after spitting out the snus and is it a beginner thing?'One member terrifyingly responds: 'Yes it is, it is normal'. A user on 'Snus' shared a picture of two Nike shoeboxes full of used nicotine pouch pods which took just one year to fillIn the larger online community, a user shared a photograph of their painful ulcerated gums and two Nike shoe boxes which they completely filled with used packs in just one year.They say that they could get through a single tub, which contains 20 pouches, in just five hours by using two at a time.While there are about 10-12mg of nicotine per cigarette, there are nicotine pouches – incorrectly labelled snus after their Swedish tobacco-filled counterparts – with up to 150mg per pouch available for purchase online.I bought a pack of 56mg Iceberg Strawberry Banana Gum flavoured nicotine pouches online and did not have to verify my age at any point.Genuine snus is a tobacco product Swedes have used for generations, tucked under the upper lip much like the tobacco-free pouches sold in Britain.But public health researchers in the Scandinavian nation admit that far less is known about the risks around newer white pouches.Although, not everyone believes nicotine pouch use in the UK amounts to a crisis – yet.Dr Marina Murphy, Director of Scientific Affairs at Haypp, the current largest retailer of nicotine pouches in the world says 'the story is about switching rather than starting'.She points out that the same nicotine found in cigarettes is used in medicines approved for use by children as young as 12.She also acknowledged that 'nicotine will make you sick and it is well known it will make you very nauseous'.But Dr Murphy draws a distinction between what she calls dependence – a habit – and addiction with nicotine pouches.'I would say there is a difference between addiction and dependence. And the difference is that addiction is habit plus harm and dependence is habit,' she says. A screenshot of a conversation with a child online who gave advice on pain caused by pouches The user said that they were just 15 when they started using nicotine pouches *Marcus, who is not his real name, bragged that after using nicotine pouches for two years that he is a veteranHowever, a legal age limit in the UK, Dr Murphy says 'makes absolute sense and is completely appropriate'.She continues: 'But it's interesting to consider there's currently no legal age limit.'There has been a lot of advertising because they could advertise, yet there's absolutely no evidence to support any claims of widespread underage use.'Although, dentists say that the damage nicotine pouches cause is already visible from their chairs.Bupa Dental Care's Head of General Dentistry, Dr Anni Seaborne, explains that repeated use in the same spot causes keratotic changes, white lesions where the pouch consistently sits, as well as gum recession that exposes the roots of the teeth.'People tend to have a favourite part of their mouth they pop the pouches in, if you're using that as soon as you do your oral check-up, we can see it a mile off,' she says.According to Dr Seaborne, dentists are 'finding that it is a younger population using nicotine pouches' who are on the receiving end of these painful oral issues.'I have had one incident where I had to have a conversation with someone who was under the age of 18 because it was obvious something was happening and I had to make sure that they were using pouches,' she says.But these health implications are dismissed by younger users because they are not aware of the risks involved.She continues: 'I think in general they just don't have that educational awareness of the detrimental effects it's having on their oral health.'Private GP Dr Lucy Hooper, echoed Dr Seaborne's concerns and says nicotine pouches also pose a significant threat to the body.'It's main impact is on the blood pressure,' she says. 'It might sound small, your blood pressure increasing by two or three points but after years, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.'Anxiety is another effect I often see and cortisol changes. Nicotine pouches will energise but for many it might feel overwhelming.'The problem Dr Hooper adds is due to the addictive nature of nicotine, if users spot these issues, it might not stop them from using them altogether.While some critics dispute the severity of nicotine pouch use amongst young people in the UK, the trend has been festering on mainstream social media.One account shares stomach-churning livestream content of young people to more than 50,000 followers on Instagram. The disturbing trend has taken off online with some social media users sharing their preferred brands and flavours Dr Marina Murphy, the Director of Scientific and External Affairs at Haypp, the world's largest online nicotine pouch retailerThe traumatic content shows young people going head-to-head against one another to see who can put the most high-content nicotine pouches, often ending when one is violently sick.TikTok has confirmed that the account has been banned from their platform though he continues to share the same content on Instagram.Amy* began vaping at 20 for 'fun on nights out' while at university, only for it to spiral into a nicotine habit she still hasn't shaken.She explains that it was a trip to south-east Asia, where vapes are illegal in several countries including Cambodia and Thailand, that pushed her towards nicotine pouches for the first time.'That's how it spiralled,' she says. 'I have stopped vaping since but I haven't stopped using snus.'Now working in PR five years after graduating, Amy is trapped in a cycle of addiction and is not aware of the damage she is doing to her mouth.'All the time I go, "okay, I'm going to stop now" and I've gone through endless nicotine patches and they work but then I go home and I still use it or it comes to the weekend and I hang out with my friends so then it just spirals,' she says.Amy believes the industry's marketing plays down the risks, and thinks clearer warnings would change people's behaviour.'I feel that if more of the health implications were in plain sight for everyone that was going to buy these things, I do think it would put people off. The real effects should be publicised.'She blames the pouches' sleek packaging for part of their appeal, describing a display in a shop near her that she says 'honestly looks amazing', with rows of different flavours and colours.'Unlike vapes I notice a lot of silver and darker colours and it appeals for a lot of people in their twenties, that's the sort of demographic.'Amy was shocked to discover nicotine pouches carry no legal age limit in the UK at all, and says she would support banning them outright. Bupa Dental Care's Head of General Dentistry, Dr Anni Seaborne said dentists can spot nicotine pouch use a 'mile off' Dr Lucy Hooper said that nicotine pouches pose a significant threat to your body just as much as your oral health'I don't really understand why there's not a legal age limit on nicotine pouches when there are with vapes. I've seen so many school kids, more and more of them using snus and it's wrong.'I'd love it if they banned it to be honest. I'd love to not be able to get any hands on it, let alone kids being able to get them as there aren't legal age requirements.'The scale of the issue is also beginning to surface in official figures.A report by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that around one in a hundred young people between the ages of 11-17 use nicotine pouches.This amounts to an estimated 63,000 young people of which boys are twice as likely to have used the product.Evidence suggests young people who already smoked cigarettes or vaped are far more likely to move on to nicotine pouches than those with no prior nicotine use.And the black market for illegal nicotine pouches is growing just as fast.In 2025, the amount of illegal nicotine pouches has increased by 974 per cent, a tenfold rise on the previous year, suggesting a government-imposed age restriction is urgently required.The report by Vape Club found that 660,000 nicotine pouches with potentially harmful ingredients were seized at UK borders and retailers.Vape Club is now calling on the government 'to act swiftly to stamp out this growing black market, before it sweeps the nation'.From October 29, the Department of Health and Social Care confirms the age of sale for all vapes and nicotine products, including pouches, will rise to 18.New restrictions on vending machines and a ban on free distribution come into force the same day, with a further ban on advertising nicotine products due to follow from June 2027.Addictions therapist Gonzalo 'Kanny' Mr Sanchez, who works at the Priory Group, says he has seen nicotine pouch use among young people surge in recent years.'I think this year it's exploded,' he says. 'If I think four years ago how many people did we see putting nicotine pouches in their mouth or three years ago, I can't remember.'There are so many 20-year-olds I see nowadays using them no matter what they're doing. I think it has dramatically increased.'When asked about the thousands of young people using snus and harder drugs online, Mr Sanchez points to a 'gateway effect'.'One of the strongest correlations I've seen is with people who use nicotine pouches and drugs like LSD, mushrooms and psychedelics. It has been quite apparent to me.'He adds that the brain does not finish developing until the age of 25 so the younger you start using snus, the more detrimental it is.'The younger you are, the younger you start and you are first exposed to these chemicals, especially nicotine, the more difficult it is going to be.'And the more susceptible you're going to be to other forms of chemical substances later in life.'I believe that it should be illegal to sell nicotine to under 18s just like it is with alcohol.'A TikTok spokesman said: 'We do not allow content showing, promoting, or using drugs or other regulated substances recreationally.''We also do not allow content showing or promoting young people participating in using alcohol or tobacco.'* Amy and Marcus are not their real names