Smoking experts warn that the glamor that traditional tobacco consumption has lost is being fueled by the tobacco industry, especially through social networks and video-on-demand platforms, vaping and electronic cigarettes.
“The same industry, which sees how limits are placed on traditional tobacco consumption, exploits the image of the “smoke smoker” to promote other products capable of releasing nicotine that are sold as less harmful, as an alternative to quit smoking or to to smoke without smoke, without stinking and without staining your teeth”, agree the psychologist Blanca Benito and the president of Nofumadores.org, Raquel Fernández.
And they warn that this message is transcending, especially among teenagers, and that this raises the risk that they end up addicted to tobacco, both because of the acquisition of the habit and the fact that many of the supposedly “nicotine-free” vaping products contain in small amounts but enough to be the gateway to addiction. Since there is no specific regulation for the sale of vaping products, they are available to minors even in candy stores, which sell disposable devices in strawberry and other flavors.
According to a study presented yesterday by the Spanish Association against Cancer (AECC), nine out of ten young people aged 16 to 21 are regularly exposed to “digital smoke”, to messages that generate desirability and normalize the consumption of new products of tobacco, such as vaporizers.
And this contributes not only to the fact that 40% use it, but also to improving the image they have of tobacco. Among the 1,730 teenagers surveyed by the AECC, one in four think that the harmful effects are exaggerated; 44%, which make them interesting; 45%, who help them in complicated situations, and 36%, who make it easier for them to make friends or hook up.
In addition, six out of ten recognize that vaping and electronic cigarettes are fashionable because they are used by actors, streamers and influencers; 53% think it’s better to vape because it doesn’t smell bad, and 51% because they think it’s easier to quit. Finally, 37.6% think it is a way to share experiences with friends.
The problem, as explained by the AECC technicians, who carried out the study, is that the use of these devices predisposes to smoking. Among those who have never smoked, only one in ten say they would like to smoke tobacco. Among those who vape, three out of ten.
And the advertising pressure for them to do so is great. 74.6% of respondents remember seeing someone smoking traditional cigarettes on platforms and networks, and 76%, someone vaping. Finally, in the family environment, only 38% have someone who smokes tobacco, and 16%, someone who vape.
