Ahead of World No Tobacco Day (Friday 31 May), the London Tobacco Alliance is calling for social media companies to support an end to tobacco industry tactics which target children and young people.

The call follows analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Study 2015–2021 by researchers at Imperial College London School of Public Health which found that social media may be driving cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use through both direct, targeted advertisements and the use of paid influencers by the tobacco industry. [1]

Analysis showed that the more time children spend on social media per day, the more likely they are to smoke and vape with the study concluding that there is compelling evidence that tobacco and vape companies are using social media to market their products. This is supported by research from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) which found that 29% of 11-17 year olds have noticed vaping being promoted online, most often through Tik Tok, followed by Youtube, Instagram and Snapchat. [2]

Nick Hopkinson, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College London says: “There is compelling evidence of tobacco and vape companies using social media to target children. The companies that own social media platforms have substantial power to modify exposure to material that promotes smoking and vaping if they choose to or are compelled to.

“The majority of content that social media users are exposed to is algorithmically controlled, both through targeted advertising and by the promotion of material that maximises engagement in order to increase revenue to the platform. This can be controlled by the platform. For example, far right imagery which is otherwise widely available is largely inaccessible in Germany, as a consequence of strict German law which social media platforms have to abide by.

A basic principle is that social media algorithms should not be promoting products to children that children cannot legally buy.”

Tracy Parr, Programme Director for the London Tobacco Alliance and Stop Smoking London, says: “We need social media platforms to support us in our bid to protect young people from the underhand tactics of the tobacco industry. The reality is that the tobacco industry has not really changed; it has only diversified. The only way it can survive is by targeting its products at young people to addict the next generation.”

To mark World No Tobacco Day, the London Tobacco Alliance has partnered with the Partnership for Young London and the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group to run a workshop exposing tobacco industry tactics and warning young people of the dangers of becoming hooked on tobacco industry products.

One young Londoner, Opeyemi, who took part in the workshop says: “It’s really surprising – the lengths they’re willing to go to push something that’s detrimental to our health. And morally I’m not sure how they can live with themselves?”

Kirsten Watters, London Children and Young People’s Lead for the Association of Directors of Public Health says: “It’s important that we educate young people around the tactics that are used to manipulate them so they can make informed choices. Tobacco is the most preventable cause of ill health, disability and death in the country, killing up to 2 in 3 long term smokers. Every year in London, smoking leads to almost 6,000 deaths and 15,500 children start smoking.”