【1977 Archives】

Juul doesn't want teens hitting its vapes. 977 Archivescompany promises.

Facing a rising tide of criticism for underage use of its e-cigarettes, vape manufacturer Juul is taking a new approach aimed at cracking down on teen use. Specifically, the company launched an online tool designed to track how specificvapes find their way into the hands of minors.

SEE ALSO: FDA boss threatens 'game over' for e-cigs if companies won't keep kids away

The idea, as explained by Juul, seems pretty straightforward. If a parent or teacher confiscates one of the company's e-cigarettes from a minor, the authority figure should head on over to a new web portal and enter the device's serial number along with a few additional details. This will, at least in theory, allow the company to figure out how the youths are getting their tiny hands on its nicotine delivery devices.

"We are implementing product traceability that will allow us, through confiscated product, to identify where youth are obtaining Juul products," reads a page explaining the company's "youth prevention" efforts. "We will share this information with FDA, and take actions immediately to address these access points for youth."

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In other words, if Juul realizes that a bunch of confiscated vapes were all sold from the same shop, perhaps that shopkeeper isn't ID'ing customers well enough. Or maybe someone's older brother buys his vape goods there.

Either way, it's an additional piece of a multifaceted plan to prevent kids from vaping. Another interesting idea, seemingly in development, is to lock each vape to a specific age-verified user.

"We will develop a new user-authenticated Juul device that can prevent those underage from using the product," explains the aforementioned youth prevention page.

While it's unclear how the latter idea would work exactly, it's heartening to see the company make an effort to reduce teen vaping — even it requires parents narcing out their own kids.

---

Featured Video For You

---

CDC reports teenage tobacco use has soared

---

(Editor: {typename type="name"/})