Tactics of the tobacco and nicotine industry youth addict for life

The World Health Organization (WHO) and STOP, the global tobacco industry watchdog, are today launching “Next generation connectivity,” a report that highlights how the tobacco and nicotine industry designs products, implements marketing campaigns and works to shape political environments to help young people around the world become addicted.

This comes just ahead of World No Tobacco Day on May 31, where the WHO is amplifying the voices of young people calling on governments to protect them from being targeted by the tobacco and nicotine industries.

The report shows that globally an estimated 37 million children between the ages of 13 and 15 smoke, and in many countries the rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents exceeds that of adults. In the WHO European Region, 20% of 15-year-olds surveyed reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.

Despite significant progress in reducing tobacco use, the emergence of e-cigarettes and other new tobacco and nicotine products poses a serious threat to youth and tobacco control. Studies show that the use of e-cigarettes increases the use of conventional cigarettes, especially among young non-smokers, by almost three times.

“History is repeating itself, as the tobacco industry tries to sell the same nicotine to our children in different packaging,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “These industries are actively targeting schools, children and youth with new products that are essentially a candy flavored trap how can they talk about harm reduction when they are marketing these dangerous highly addictive products to children?

These industries continue to market their products to the youth with tempting flavors like candy and fruit. Research in the United States has shown that more than 70% of young e-cigarette users would quit smoking if the products were only available with tobacco flavor.

“These industries deliberately design products and use marketing strategies that directly appeal to children,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director, WHO Director of Health Promotion. “The use of child-friendly flavors like cotton candy and bubble gum, combined with sleek and colorful designs reminiscent of toys, is an obvious attempt to get young people addicted to these harmful products.”

These fraudulent tactics underscore the urgent need for strong regulations to protect young people from a lifetime of harmful addiction.

WHO urges governments to protect young people from using tobacco, e-cigarettes and other nicotine products by banning or strictly regulating these products. WHO's recommendations include making indoor public spaces 100% smoke-free, banning flavored e-cigarettes, banning marketing, advertising and promotion, higher taxes, increasing public awareness of the deceptive tactics used by the industry, and supporting youth education and awareness initiatives. .

“Young addicts represent a lifetime of profit for the industry,” said Jorge Alday, Director, STOP at Vital Strategies. “That's why the industry is lobbying aggressively to create an environment that makes it cheap, attractive and easy for young people to get hooked on. If policymakers do not take action, current and future generations could face a new wave of harm, characterized by addiction and use of many tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes.”

Youth advocates around the world are taking a stand against the destructive influence and manipulative marketing of the tobacco and nicotine industry. They expose these fraudulent practices and advocate for their own tobacco-free future. Youth organizations from around the world attended the last session of the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP10) to send a strong message to policymakers: “Future generations will remember you as those who protected them or as those who failed them and put in danger.”

Dr. Tedros recognized the following youth organizations among the World No Tobacco Day 2024 awards:

• Thai Youth Institute, Kingdom of Thailand
• Smoking Abstinence Club, Federal Republic of Nigeria
• Campaign for children without tobacco, Republic of Argentina

These inspiring young leaders are protecting their generation from an industry that sees them as profit rather than people.

Working together, governments, public health organizations, civil society and empowered youth can create a world where the next generation is free from the dangers of tobacco and nicotine addiction.