Warnings have surged in relation to the increase in TikTok videos persuading the young populace to adopt smoking and vaping habits. This alarming trend has prompted physicians to demand a complete prohibition on the digital sale of e-cigarettes within the Australian jurisdiction.
Analyzing Australia’s evolving legislation on vaping and smoking, an investigative examination unfolded ominous revelations from dominant medical entities this past Wednesday.
In a statement, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) highlighted an unprecedented surge in young individuals who are being persistently and assertively lured by online e-cigarette vendors on platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook.
They pointed out an alarming enhancement in e-cigarette promotional videos on digital platforms like TikTok. With 63% of these e-cigarette videos portraying the product in a favorable light, such content has attracted over 1.1 billion views, according to their submission.
While TikTok’s community guidelines prohibit users from posting, streaming, or sharing content involving the trading or solicitation of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products, the reality appears drastically different.
Michael Bonning, the president of AMA NSW, argued ineffective content regulation on digital platforms has subjected children to detrimental online content at an escalating rate. He stressed the dire need for the government to swiftly enact laws to banish non-prescription e-cigarettes from retail.
Bonning noted the issue was symptomatic of a worrying trend, where after a prolonged decline in nicotine use in Australia, he observed an uptick in smokers and vapers, an increase in chronic cough, and a surge in lung diseases among young people.
For years, the health risks of tobacco use lay unknown, with a powerful tobacco industry vehemently contesting evidence while pushing their addictive products unceasingly. Bonning drew parallels with the vaping industry’s current tactics, accusing them of enthralling a fresh generation with nicotine, artfully marketing to younger audiences and downplaying health hazards.
The Tobacco Vape Research Collective (TVRC) posits that vaping is extensively advertised to young generations through social media apps, utilizing vibrant images, appealing flavors, and sexually suggestive visuals.
Jonine Jancey, a researcher at Curtin University, highlighted the fact that Generation Z spends over four hours daily on such apps. Online advertising approaches, she suggests, have become progressively intricate. A study revealed that a significant majority of TikTok videos depict vaping favorably, with over a quarter in blatant disregard of the platform’s social media etiquette.
TVRC’s submission outlined that “current policies and moderation processes seem to be insufficient in limiting the proliferation of pro-e-cigarette content on TikTok, consequently putting its largely young user base at potential risk of e-cigarette usage.”
These findings emerge following the federal government’s declaration earlier that they intend to outlaw non-prescription vaping products in May, marking the largest smoking reforms witnessed in many years.
The exact time frame for implementing the promised ban on all disposable vapes remains uncertain. However, it is believed that the government will move forward with an import ban through parliament before the conclusion of 2023.
