Zyn is the new nicotine craze all over TikTok – parents and politicians are worried

‘Zynnies’ have appeared on social media with many fearing for users’ health

Matthew Perrone

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Containers of Zyn, a Phillip Morris smokeless nicotine pouch, is stacked for sale at a newsstand in New York (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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A new trend has appeared on social media and with it fear from politicians and parents alike.

Zyn is latest tobacco product trending online: a tiny pouch filled with nicotine and flavoring.

Zyn comes in flavors like mint, coffee and citrus, and Philip Morris International markets it to adult tobacco users. But videos of young people popping the pouches have racked up millions of views on TikTok and other social media platforms.

Users have quickly developed their own online vocabulary, including “zynnies,” “zynner” and “zynsky.”

That trend has advocates worried that Zyn could become the latest nicotine product to attract underage teens, similar to the way Juul triggered a yearslong spike in vaping. Other experts say that risk is outweighed by the potential to steer adults away from cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products, which account for 480,000 US deaths annually.