Tobacco control charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Wales …
Nicotine addiction overwhelmingly begins in childhood – and family influence remains the strongest factor. Despite decades of progress …
Influencers and Digital Trends
Social media and influencers are playing a significant role in shaping young people’s attitudes toward smoking and vaping. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have become powerful spaces where smoking and vaping are often glamorised, making these harmful behaviours appear trendy and harmless. This has serious implications for public health efforts to reduce tobacco use in Wales.
What's The Issue?
Social media is flooded with content that presents smoking and vaping as aspirational. While tobacco advertising is heavily regulated in the UK, these rules haven’t fully caught up with the rise of influencer culture and user-generated content. Tobacco companies exploit these loopholes, leveraging social media to indirectly promote their products to young audiences.
Cigfluencers—social media influencers who promote smoking and vaping products—are particularly concerning. Their carefully curated posts glamorise smoking, undermining years of public health progress and encouraging a new generation to take up these habits.
Why It Matters?
A Gateway for Young People
Social media is where young people spend much of their time, making them vulnerable to targeted tobacco and vaping promotions. A recent survey revealed that 29% of young people aged 11–17 in the UK have encountered vaping promotions online. This exposure creates a risk of normalizing smoking and vaping behaviors among youth.
The Power of Influence
The aspirational images and videos shared by influencers mask the real risks of nicotine addiction and smoking-related illnesses. By omitting warnings or downplaying the dangers, these posts mislead viewers into believing that smoking or vaping is risk-free and desirable.
Regulatory Loopholes
Despite the ban on direct tobacco advertising in the UK, user-generated content and influencer marketing often fall outside these regulations. Brands capitalize on these gaps, enabling their products to reach young people in ways that traditional advertising cannot.
Key Stats
- 29% of young people aged 11–17 in the UK report seeing vaping promotions on social media.
- TikTok is the leading platform for youth exposure to vaping content, accounting for 45% of promotions.
- Over 80% of e-cigarette content shared online lacks any warning about health risks.
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