Dilated pupils, high on camera and often alone. On TikTok, more young people are openly filming their drug use. The videos reach millions, frequently under a single hashtag: #Pingtok.
The trend shows a new visibility of drug consumption on social media. What once happened behind closed doors is now filmed, aestheticized and shared — sometimes with life-threatening consequences and often without parents noticing.
“Since I started talking about addiction on TikTok, I get a lot of messages,” says influencer Sarah. “What really scares me is that many of them are minors.” She became addicted at 15 and now, at 26, uses TikTok to speak frankly about addiction and withdrawal. Many of her followers who first encountered drugs via TikTok are even younger. “They don’t have anyone they can talk to. Some of them write to me about really disturbing experiences and trauma,” she says.
One click away from drugs
Sarah’s experience illustrates how easy it is for young people to find drug-related content on platforms like TikTok. A simple search for #Pingtok yields countless clips of teenagers getting high, and the longer someone scrolls, the more the algorithm supplies similar videos.
TikTok says it prioritizes user safety and prohibits depiction, promotion or sale of drugs, removing violative content — claiming over 99% of such material is removed before it is reported. But #Pingtok demonstrates how moderation can be circumvented.
What lies behind #Pingtok
Users employ codes, emojis, sounds and new terms to evade detection. Rather than showing drugs outright, many videos highlight physical signs of use — especially dilated pupils and jaw clenching. “Ping” is slang for taking MDMA, which is why the trend is called Pingtok.
This kind of “algospeak” complicates moderation: blocked terms are quickly replaced with variants (#Pingtokk, #Pintok) or other evasive signals, allowing content to persist.
Dealing drugs in the comments
TikTok increasingly acts as an informal marketplace. “You don’t even have to leave the house,” Sarah says. “You get whatever you want, delivered straight to your room.” Comment sections often include requests like “Who’s selling?” or “Need something in Berlin,” and replies can lead to emoji-coded exchanges — a plug emoji to indicate availability, for example — before users are invited to private Telegram groups.
When drug use becomes public
Teenagers have long experimented with substances, but the big change is public visibility. Where people once drew curtains and consumed together, many now film themselves taking drugs alone and turn their high into content for likes and views.
Data underline the risks: Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office reports drug-related deaths have nearly doubled over the past decade, with fatalities among people under 30 rising by 14% in 2024 alone. U.S. research shows more than two-thirds of fatal overdoses occurred at users’ homes, often because no one else was present to intervene. While there’s no proven direct causal link between trends like #Pingtok and overdose deaths, experts warn that isolation and exposure to drug-related content on social media can make use more dangerous.
Governments consider social media bans
Political pressure on platforms is growing. Several countries are weighing measures to better protect young users. Australia introduced a social media ban for under-16s; the UK, Denmark, France and Spain have discussed or proposed similar restrictions. The European Union is reviewing age rules and platform compliance, and EU regulators have said TikTok’s design breaches online content rules and the Digital Services Act because of its addictive features.
Not all content is glorification
Some researchers caution that bans or blanket removals can harm people who use social platforms for support. Layla Bouzoubaa and her team analyzed hundreds of TikTok videos about substance use and found more than half focused on harm reduction, recovery or education. A strict takedown approach could cut off a vital lifeline for people seeking help. Bouzoubaa warns platforms must involve these communities before taking actions that affect them.
Prevention happens online
That is the path Sarah follows: she now uses TikTok to warn others about the costs of addiction rather than to glamorize use. “Drug authorities and social workers have to accept that most of this now happens online,” she says. Being on the streets and in schools is important, but officials also need to monitor online spaces where many underage users are active.
Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is suffering serious emotional strain or thoughts of self-harm, seek professional help. Information on where to find help worldwide is available at https://www.befrienders.org/