Appearing in upstate New York on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to immediately investigate "Elf Bar" vape cigarettes that he said are made in China and targeting students in New York through social media and kid-friendly flavors.

“If left unchecked, this highly-addictive and health-damaging Elf Bar that is targeting teens and kids could become the next Juul but even worse, because of its shoddy manufacturing and its commonly mislabeled nicotine levels,” Schumer said.

He added the China-based product has lower product safety and consumer protection standards.

Standing at Fulton Junior High School, Schumer said Elf Bars have created an "escalating regional epidemic." School administrators have confiscated more than 60 Elf Bars in Fulton schools alone this year and hundreds more across Syracuse and Central New York schools, Schumer said.

He added that teachers in Central New York are confiscating the disposable e-cigs nearly every day, and their use will likely continue to increase if federal action is not taken. Questionable advertising and promotion of the product on social media is likely evading FDA rules, Schumer said.

He called on the FDA to investigate the sale of Elf Bars and its social adverting, "and be prepared to ban them to protect our kids."

“On TikTok alone, the Elf Bar has 1.76 billion views, and that is advertising," Schumer said.

E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youths since 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2020, an estimated 3.6 million middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days, and more than 80% reported flavored e-cigarette use, according to the CDC.