An Investigation of Young Adults' Psychophysiological and Self-Report Responses to Paid Partnership Disclosures in Pro-Oral Nicotine Pouch Videos.

Abstract

Oral nicotine pouches have surged in popularity on social media, in part owing to promotions by influencers. This study examined how the presence or absence of a paid partnership disclosure in an influencer's oral nicotine pouch TikTok video impacted psychophysiological and self-report responses of young adults who use oral nicotine pouches. Using a between-participant design, participants viewed 1 of 2, 2-minute TikTok simulations that either did or did not have a paid partnership disclosure in an influencer video promoting oral nicotine pouches during the fall of 2024. The study was conducted in a media psychophysiology research laboratory and included 96 young adults (aged 18-23 years) who had used oral nicotine pouches within the past 30 days. Participants' heart rates were measured during the TikTok simulation, and they answered self-report questions about oral nicotine pouches before and after viewing the simulation. Primary outcomes included self-reported craving, perceived harm reduction, behavioral intentions, and heart rate as a psychophysiological indicator of cognitive resource allocation. Data were analyzed in the spring of 2025. Psychophysiological data indicated greater cognitive resource allocation among participants who viewed the video with the paid partnership disclosure than among those who viewed the video without the disclosure (p=0.03). Self-report measures revealed significant increases from baseline between message conditions, with craving, perceived harm reduction, and behavioral intentions to use oral nicotine pouches increasing more among participants who viewed the video with the disclosure than among those who viewed the video without the disclosure (all p<0.001). Paid partnership disclosures in an influencer-generated message promoting oral nicotine pouches facilitate attention to the message, heighten craving and intentions to use, and reduce perceived harm of oral nicotine pouches. These findings can be applied in counter-messaging efforts including testing if leveraging influencers to create user-generated content with paid partnership disclosures can effectively inform young adults about the potential risks of oral nicotine pouch use.