Facebook Inc. is getting tough on influencers getting paid to promote products relating to weapons, vaping, tobacco and diet supplements on its Instagram app.

The company said today in a post that although there have always been rules in place to stop the promotion of such products, it will now start enforcing those rules in the upcoming weeks.

Branded content that promotes vaping, tobacco products and weapons will be absolutely verboten, while there will be restrictions on posts that promote alcohol or diet supplements. That might include certain posts having age restrictions, a feature that is currently being worked on.

For a long time Instagram had a hands-off approach to the platform, but as influencer audiences grew, dubious products started getting promoted. The Centers for Disease Control has said the number of teens vaping in the U.S. has skyrocketed since 2018, with one in four high schoolers now vaping.

As seen in the recently released Netflix documentary “Broken,” the trend has largely been driven by cool advertising and certain Instagram influencers promoting vaping. And it’s not happening only inside the U.S.

This week, four vaping companies in the U.K., including British American Tobacco or BAT, had their vaping ads removed by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ads were seen to be directed at impressionable teens, contain no health information and have featured celebrities.

“The ASA’s ruling is a huge step forward in preventing tobacco companies from using social media to advertise to young people in the U.K. and around the world,” Mark Hurley, director of international communications at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement. “While the ASA ruling is great news, urgent policy change is needed from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to prevent BAT and other tobacco companies from using social media to advertise their harmful products to young people around the world.”

Facebook responded to the British media, explaining the changes that came into effect this week.

Photo: Vaping360/Flickr