A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and STOP has shed light on the concerning rise of tobacco and e-cigarette use among adolescents worldwide.
The report indicates that over 37 million children aged 13 to 15 years are using tobacco globally, with a particularly alarming rate of e-cigarette use among this age group surpassing that of adults in many countries.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, expressed deep concern over the industry’s targeting of young people, stating, “These industries are actively targeting schools, children, and young people with new products that are essentially a candy-flavored trap.”
The report, released just ahead of World No Tobacco Day on May 31, aims to raise awareness of the tactics used by the tobacco and nicotine industry to addict young people.
“These industries are intentionally designing products and utilizing marketing strategies that appeal directly to children,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director, WHO Director of Health Promotion. “The use of child-friendly flavours like cotton candy and bubble-gum, combined with sleek and colourful designs that resemble toys, is a blatant attempt to addict young people to these harmful products.”
Jorge Alday, Director of STOP at Vital Strategies, emphasised the need for policy makers to take action to prevent future generations from falling victim to the industry’s profit-driven tactics. “That’s why the industry aggressively lobbies to create an environment that makes it cheap, attractive and easy for youth to get hooked. If policy makers don’t act, current and future generations may be facing a new wave of harms, characterized by addiction to and use of many tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes.”
The report calls for stringent regulations to protect youth from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine addiction. Recommendations include banning or tightly regulating these products, enforcing smoke-free indoor public places, prohibiting flavoured e-cigarettes, implementing advertising bans, increasing taxes, raising public awareness, and supporting youth-led education initiatives.
