Speak out #TobaccoExposed

Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use

The global campaign will debunk myths and expose devious tactics employed by these industries. It will provide young people with the knowledge required to easily detect industry manipulation and equip them with the tools to rebuff such tactics, thereby empowering young people to stand up against them. WHO calls on all young people to join the fight to become a tobacco-free generation.

Tobacco and related industry tactics to attract younger generations

✔ Flavours appealing to children in smoke

✔ Promotion of tobacco products and the distribution of free samples at popular events for young people.

✔ Advertising and product placement on movies and tv-shows and through social media platforms with paid influencers.

We encourage everyone to become educated, spread awareness and create a tobacco-free generation.

CALL TO ACTION

World No Tobacco Day is celebrated every 31 May. This year, WHO is launching a counter-marketing campaign in response to the tobacco and related industries’ systematic, aggressive and sustained tactics to hook a new generation of users. The global campaign will debunk myths and expose devious tactics employed by these industries. It will provide young people with the knowledge required to easily detect industry manipulation and equip them with the tools to rebuff such tactics, thereby empowering young people to stand up against them.

WHO calls on all young people to join the fight to become a tobacco-free generation. This campaign will reinforce WHO’s work in assisting country-level implementation of effective policy interventions to reduce the demand for tobacco and protect against industry tactics to undermine global and national efforts to implement evidence-based tobacco control policies.

Celebrities and social influencers – Reject offers of “brand ambassadorship” and refuse any form of sponsorship by nicotine and tobacco industries.

Social media companies – Ban advertising, promotion and sponsorship by the nicotine and tobacco industries and prohibit influencer marketing of tobacco or nicotine products.

Film, television or drama production companies – Pledge not to depict tobacco use or e-cigarette use.

Parents and relatives – Educate children and adolescents on the harms of nicotine and tobacco product use and empower them to reject industry manipulation.

Nurses and health practitioners – Provide children, adolescents, young adults and their parents, with updated information about the risks associated with use of these products and empower users to quit through the offer of brief cessation advice.

Schools– Raise awareness of the dangers of initiating nicotine and tobacco product use, adopt tobacco and e-cigarette free campuses, refuse any form of sponsorship by the nicotine and tobacco industries, and prohibit representatives from nicotine and tobacco companies from speaking at school events, school camps, etc.

Youth groups – Organize local events to engage and educate your peers and build a movement for a tobacco-free generation. Advocate for the adoption of effective tobacco control policies in your community to curb and prevent the manipulation of nicotine and tobacco industries

National and local governments – Support the implementation of comprehensive tobacco control policies, as outlined in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This can help prevent industry evasion of tobacco control legislation and exploitation of regulatory loopholes, protect children and adolescents from industry manipulation and prevent younger generations from initiating nicotine and tobacco product use.

Some key policy options include:

✔ If not banned, regulate ENDS and ENNDS;

✔ Ban the use of flavourings attractive to youth in nicotine and tobacco products;

✔ Enact comprehensive bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of nicotine and tobacco products, including cross-border advertising;

✔ Adopt large, graphic labels that warn about the health risks of nicotine and tobacco products;

✔ Offer tried and tested cessation interventions, such as brief advice from health professionals, national toll free quit lines, cessation interventions delivered via mobile text messaging is recommended, and where economically feasible, promote nicotine replacement therapies and non-nicotine pharmacotherapies for cessation;

✔ Implement and enforce policies to prevent tobacco industry lobbying and interference in tobacco control policy.

Why should you quit smoking and how can you do it?

Smokers have a higher risk of getting coronavirus because they are constantly putting their hands to their lips.

And then, if they get coronavirus, they run a greater risk of getting a severe case because their lung function is impaired.

Quit today to reduce these risks and start living a healthier life.

Quick tips to curb your cravings:

Delay: Delay as long as you can before giving in to your urge.
Deep breathing: Take 10 deep breaths to relax yourself from within until the urge passes.
Drink water: Drinking water is a healthy alternative to sticking a cigarette in your mouth.
Do something else to distract yourself: Take a shower, read, go for a walk, listen to music!

There are many resources within your own community. Find out if your healthcare providers, Quit line Counsellors, mCessation programmes are available to support you in your journey to quit.

Q&A Smoking and COVID-19

How to quit tobacco smoking?

A guide for tobacco users to quit

This self-help material was developed based on WHO Capacity Building Training Package 4 entitled “Strengthening health systems for treating tobacco dependence in primary care”. Its target audience are tobacco users. It aims to give advice and information to improve tobacco user’ readiness to quit and to help those who are ready to quit to plan a quit attempt. The content of this self-help material includes:

How to get ready to quit (for tobacco users not ready to quit);
How to plan and make quit attempts (for tobacco users ready to quit);
Local tobacco cessation support resources.

Access the document

KEY MESSAGES

Tobacco products kill more than 8 million people every year. Tobacco and related industries must continuously find new consumers to replace the ones that their products are killing to maintain revenue.

Tobacco companies spent over 9 billion in marketing and advertising and the world lost 8 million lives from causes related to tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke.

Tobacco and related industries’ tactics to market to children and adolescents include:
- Over 15,000 flavours, most of which attract children and adolescents
- Social media influencers and marketing
- Sponsored events and parties
- School scholarships
- Sleek, sexy designs
- Product placement in entertainment media
- Free product samples
- Single stick cigarettes make addiction more affordable
- Selling products at eye level for children
- Product placement and advertising near schools

We want to create a generation that is free from tobacco and second-hand smoke and the death and disease that they cause.

Break free from the tobacco and related industries’ manipulation by becoming educated on their tactics and the harm caused by their products.

Tobacco use is responsible for 25% of all cancer deaths globally. Use of nicotine and tobacco products increases the risk of cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary disease.

Over 1 million people die from second-hand smoke exposure every year.

Children and adolescents who use e-cigarettes at least double their chance of smoking cigarettes later in life.

E-cigarette use increases your risk of heart disease and lung disorders.

Nicotine in e-cigarettes is a highly addictive drug and can damage children’s developing brains.

Smoking shisha is just as harmful as other forms of tobacco use.

Smokeless doesn’t mean that it’s harmless.

Smoking is expensive, and you pay for it with your looks and your health. It causes bad breath, yellow teeth, wrinkly skin, unhealthy lungs and a poor immune system.