Australian government recruits influencers to prevent youth vaping

A dozen Australian influencers have been asked by the authorities to "counter disinformation on social networks". They will intervene on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch. The federal government considered that this was the best way to address young people aged 14 to 20 and to counter the many influencers working for the tobacco and vaping industry. This initiative is being implemented as the Australian law on the importation of electronic cigarettes is being tightened in March 2024.

A female cricketer, a video gamer, young actors or professional surfers, each followed by millions of young Internet users, these are the profiles of the influencers recently recruited by the Australian government[1]The latter thus intends to fight on their own ground the thousands of influencers financed by the tobacco and vaping industry to promote their products.

Influencers to warn about the risks of vaping

The tobacco and vaping industry’s practice of recruiting influencers to promote vaping products has significantly contributed to the current vaping epidemic among young Australians. The Australian Department of Health has identified as many as 18,000 “vapefluencers” on Instagram alone, and over 18 billion posts about vaping on TikTok[2]The prevalence of vaping in the last month among 18-24 year-olds, for its part, increased from 4.2 % at the start of 2020 to 19.8 % at the start of 2023, and that of 14-17 year-olds from 1.5 % to 14.5 %.[3].

So it is for "to initiate a debate with the new generation of Australians about the consequences of vaping and nicotine addiction" and for “countering disinformation on social networks” that the Australian government has hired a dozen influencers known and appreciated by 14-20 year olds[4]. In addition to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch, the vaping prevention campaign will also be conducted on the streaming platform Spotify and on the site for young "dropouts" Year13. The content of these campaigns has not yet been revealed.

Tightening of legislation on vaping products

This initiative by Health Minister Mark Butler coincides with other measures regarding vaping products. As of March 1, 2024, the importation of any electronic cigarette is prohibited without a license or authorization. “Personal” imports, tolerating up to three months of consumption, are also eliminated.

Legislation on e-cigarettes is also expected to be strengthened in the coming weeks and prevent the production, advertising, sale and possession of "non-therapeutic" or single-use e-cigarettes. Since 2021, the sale of e-cigarettes has in principle only been permitted on medical prescription, but a large parallel market with a street presence had developed.

The ban on the importation of disposable electronic cigarettes ("puffs") has already been applied since 1 January 2024. For their part, seizures of unauthorized equipment have multiplied and reached 360,000 electronic cigarettes in January 2024, almost three times more than throughout 2023. Some 210,000 electronic cigarettes were seized during a single operation in February 2024.

Further provisions targeting e-cigarettes are expected to come into force in Australia in 2024, including restrictions on flavours, limits on nicotine levels and changing the packaging to a medicine-like format.

Keywords: Australia, influencers, social media, vaping, e-cigarettes

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[1] Lowrey T, Influencers recruited in anti-vape campaign as import crackdown continues, ABC News, published February 27, 2024, accessed February 29, 2024.

[2] Next steps of vaping reform and launch of influencer-led youth vaping campaign, Department of Health and Aged Care, published 28 February 2024, accessed 29 February 2024.

[3] Wakefield M, Haynes A, Tabbakh T, Scollo M, Durkin S, Current vaping and current smoking in the Australian population aged 14+ years: February 2018-March 2023, Department of Health and Aged Care, May 2023, 25 p.

[4] Bliszczyk A, The Australian Government Is Hiring Anti-Vape Influencers, Vice, published February 28, 2024, accessed February 29, 2024.