Podcast Summary
Tobacco marketing to youth: Tobacco companies are using social media and digital platforms to target young people, leading to a rise in tobacco use among South African university students and globally. Exposure to advertising significantly increases the likelihood of youth using tobacco products, making regulation essential to protect them.
Big Tobacco is using stealthy and aggressive methods to infiltrate the lives of young people through social media and digital platforms, and the Hearts and Stroke Foundation South Africa, along with other leading health and community organizations, is taking a stand to raise awareness and empower the next generation to resist these deceptive practices. The statistics show that tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and hookah, is on the rise among South African university students, with about 26% reporting current use of e-cigarettes and almost 1 in 3 reporting current use of hookah. Globally, 37 million youth between the ages of 13 to 15 are using tobacco. Exposure to advertising and marketing significantly increases the likelihood of youth using tobacco products, and in South Africa, 77.8% of students were exposed to any advertisement, marketing, or promotion of e-cigarettes. To limit this exposure and protect young people, it's crucial for governments to intervene and regulate tobacco advertising and marketing.
Tobacco marketing near schools, social media: Tobacco retailers strategically place stores near schools and young children have access to tobacco marketing on social media, increasing kids' exposure and normalization to tobacco products
Tobacco retailers strategically locate their stores near schools, increasing children's exposure to tobacco marketing and e-cigarettes. This issue is compounded by the fact that young children as young as 7 or 8 have access to social media platforms like TikTok, where they are exposed to tobacco marketing and normalization. Professor Lakin, who is the director of the National Council Against Smoking and the head of the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria, emphasized the need to address this issue. Children's access to tobacco marketing through various channels, including physical stores and social media, is a serious concern that requires action. We must take a stand against this normalization and work towards creating a tobacco-free environment for our children.