It was one of the topics that focused the European Congress on Tobacco, held last week in Madrid: the tobacco industry is expanding its search for “customers”, no longer among the elderly, but among teenagers and young adults by means of so-called vaporizers (electronic cigarettes). And it’s doing it by using all the elements available to attract these future smokers, from the most attractive flavors (watermelon, vanilla, banana, strawberry…) to the design of the cigarette: simple and elegant USB-shaped and embellished with colors modern The target audience: teenagers and young people, who feel “in fashion”, taking puffs of smoke (with or without nicotine).
For a few months, the industry has taken another step in its search for new customer niches. Now, children aged nine to eleven. How? Bringing e-cigarettes to the online market with shapes that appeal, and a lot, to children. Steamers decorated with cartoon characters (SpongeBob, for example), toys, treats or children’s drinks.
This has been denounced by Andrés Zamorano, president of the National Committee against Smoking (CNPT), who warns that these are electronic cigarettes, many with liquid nicotine, available in sweet and fruity flavors, with a child consumer in mind. “It is necessary to stop this drift that has started, to stop it resolutely”, he says.
The WHO states in the same vein: “The multi-billion dollar tobacco and nicotine industries recruit new consumers in order to offer the maximum possible benefits to their investors and keep the business alive. More and more children and teenagers are falling victim to the tobacco industry, and others related to it, which are targeting them directly with advertising tactics and a new portfolio of dangerous health products. These industries are moving at breakneck speed to launch new and existing products, and are using every means possible to expand their market share before being caught by new regulations.â€
The alarm was sounded last month by the French Ministry of Health, which warned that, “given the increase in regulation, manufacturers of vaping devices have become more creative in the very design of their devices” and they are launching increasingly extravagant and colorful products “that take advantage of the popularity of miniature toys, driven by TikTok and other social networks” and that are clearly “at young teenagers or even pre-teens”.
According to an article published in the journal Tobacco Control, e-cigarettes that look like toys, candy, or other consumable products can give the impression that the products are not dangerous, and therefore can attract younger people to experiment. “Many of these products contain nicotine, a very addictive drug, especially among teenagers,” warns Zamorano.
These products, easily accessible on the internet, are available in many sweet and fruity flavors at attractive prices. And they have a capacity of around 8,000 glopades. Of course, they do not present any health warnings and there is no mention of any prohibition of sale to minors during the purchase.
The authors of the article also point out that turning devices into collectibles can also encourage young people to buy several devices instead of one at a time and thus facilitate their entry into addiction. Vaping devices that look like popular children’s toys can also hide the true function of the product and make it easier for young people to use it surreptitiously, especially at home or at school.
In November last year, the US federal agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), issued warning letters to five companies for the unauthorized marketing of 15 toy-shaped electronic cigarettes . None of the manufacturers had submitted the prior application required for the marketing of these products. Many featured familiar youth characters from TV shows, movies and video games, such as The Simpsons or the Minions.
