Amid CDC Health Concerns, Apple Bans Vaping Apps

Apple removed 181 vaping apps from its App Store before banning them altogether.

According to Axios, a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spurred this recent action. The CDC report, which came out last Thursday, stated that 42 people in the US have died from lung injuries related to e-cigarettes. Apple came out in agreement with the report shortly after. The tech giant said that it agreed with the findings and was taking steps to keep the App Store safe. The company explained that it was concerned that teenagers may be influenced by the content they recently removed.

Apple never allowed apps that allowed customers to directly order vaping products. However, the App Store did contain many apps that offered users control over vape pens. Other apps that contained vape-related content and games were also removed. “We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps. We’re constantly evaluating apps, and consulting the latest evidence, to determine risks to users’ health and well-being,” Apple said in a statement.

For now, users who have already downloaded one of these 181 apps will be able to continue using them. The apps will be unavailable for new users, however.

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