Study: Exposure to pro-tobacco/vaping content on social media promotes youth initiation

Published in the journal Addictive Behaviors[1], a study finds that frequent use of social media is linked to an increased risk of youth initiation of tobacco and vaping products. Youth who had never used tobacco or other nicotine-containing products and used social media daily were, in this study, 67 % more likely to start using them one year later, compared to youth who used these platforms less frequently.

For this study, the authors examined possible relationships between the level of social media exposure and the risk of initiating tobacco and nicotine products. To do this, they used data from the US Population Assessment for Tobacco and Health, a nationally representative study of American youth aged 12 and older, conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Food and Drug Administration. Focusing on data collected during the two waves of the survey, from 2014 to 2016, the team identified 8,672 youth who had never used tobacco products before. Of this group, 63.5% used social media daily and 3.3% liked or followed one or more tobacco/vaping brands on social media.

Daily exposure to social media promotes nicotine initiation

Social media is a critical environment for socialization and information seeking among adolescents. In fact, more than 90% of 13- to 17-year-olds in the United States use at least one social media platform. Increased time spent on social media increases the opportunity for exposure to tobacco- and nicotine-related content. Much previous work has linked exposure to tobacco- or nicotine-promoting content to product initiation. In this study, youth who had never used tobacco or nicotine products and reported daily social media use were 67% more likely to report initiating use of one or more tobacco or nicotine products approximately one year later.

Young people who reported interacting directly with tobacco/vaping brands on social media (liking, sharing, commenting on posts) were 34% more likely to initiate a tobacco/vaping product. Among those who initiated, more than 60% of them were likely to engage in poly-consumption of tobacco or nicotine products in the year following the survey. Thus, during the follow-up, approximately 1 year later, 8.7% of young people, initially non-users, reported having started smoking/vaping and 3.2% started using at least 2 products.

Tobacco and vaping product manufacturers are investing heavily in social media

The Internet and social networks offer manufacturers new opportunities to promote addictive products and place targeted advertisements, particularly aimed at young people, on an ongoing basis. To restore its tarnished image, the tobacco industry is trying to normalize nicotine consumption by positioning itself on the innovative and modern nature of new products. It promotes them via influencers on platforms popular with young people (Instagram, Tiktok). In 2023, a meta-analysis[2] by the American organization Truth Initiative demonstrated that the tobacco industry uses social networks massively to advertise its new tobacco and nicotine products. Its aim is also to circumvent existing restrictions (for example on the ban on flavors) and to disseminate information that is intended to reassure consumers. Exposure to the content of these products on social media is associated with both a lower perception of risks and an increased probability of initiation and current use.

Another recent report from Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids from December 2023[3], shows that Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT) promoted their new products (heated tobacco, nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes) on social media in 60 countries. This allowed them to reach 385 million users worldwide, of which 16 million were minors. 10 million of these under-18s were exposed to marketing for BAT's Velo nicotine pouches, and 4.3 million to its Vuse e-cigarettes. Nearly 2 million adolescents were exposed to marketing for PMI's IQOS heated tobacco device.

Keywords: Social networks, advertising, marketing, tobacco, vaping, nicotine, young people, initiation

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Lynsie R. Ranker, Jiaxi Wu, Traci Hong, Derry Wijaya, Emelia J. Benjamin, Aruni Bhatnagar, Rose M. Robertson, Jessica L. Fetterman, Ziming Xuan, Social media use, brand engagement, and tobacco product initiation among youth: Evidence from a prospective cohort study, Addictive Behaviors, Volume 154, 2024,doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108000.

[2] Industry influencer: how tobacco content is infiltrating social media, Truth Initiative, published July 20, 2023

[3] #SponsoredByBigTobacco: Tobacco & Nicotine Marketing on Social Media, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, published December 8, 2023