Tobacco industry targets children around schools in the Middle East and Pakistan

A new one report published by STOP (Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products)[1] highlights the tobacco and nicotine industry's aggressive strategies to target children and adolescents in three countries: Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan. Despite the existence of laws regulating advertising and sales, the study reveals that the immediate vicinity of schools remains saturated with tobacco and nicotine products, often presented in attractive ways and accessible at low cost. These practices contribute to increasing the risk of initiation and addiction from an early age. The researchers selected a sample of 327 schools in the three countries studied and observed all points of sale located within a radius of 100 to 150 meters of the school. The investigators documented the presence of tobacco and nicotine products, their presentation methods, the visibility of health warnings, and any proximity to items intended for children (confectionery, toys, school supplies).

Almost systematic availability around schools

The survey shows that tobacco is almost systematically present around schools in Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan. In Egypt, more than half of the retail outlets studied, located around schools, sold tobacco and nicotine products, or 455 identified businesses. In Jordan, this proportion rose to 69 of the retail outlets studied. In Pakistan, the situation appears even more alarming: all 268 businesses observed offered tobacco or nicotine. This concentration reflects a deliberate strategy by the industry, which ensures that products are visible and accessible in places where children pass through daily. Beyond the numbers, the density of retailers is itself a risk factor. In Egypt, researchers identified an average of 4.8 shops selling tobacco/nicotine within a 100-meter radius of each school, compared to 2.3 in Jordan and 2 in Pakistan. In some neighborhoods, a student could be exposed to more than four stores selling cigarettes, hookah tobacco, e-cigarettes, or heated tobacco products on the way to school. Such a concentration trivializes consumption and automatically increases opportunities for young people to purchase and experiment. These data confirm the observations of other international studies: the higher the density of tobacco stores near schools, the greater the prevalence of smoking among adolescents. Conversely, a decrease in the number of points of sale is associated with a decrease in smoking among young people. By saturating the school environment with harmful products, the industry compromises public health efforts and transforms the areas surrounding schools into permanent exposure zones, contributing to the early establishment of consumption behaviors.

Flavored products and attractive presentations

The report highlights the central role of flavors in the tobacco and nicotine industry's seduction strategy. In Egypt, 60% of the shops located around schools offered flavored cigarettes, while 18% sold flavored e-cigarettes and 11% sold flavored heated tobacco sticks. In Jordan, the figures are even more striking: nearly half of the outlets sold flavored cigarettes, 55.6% sold heated tobacco sticks, and 86.4% sold e-cigarettes containing flavors. These data illustrate a deliberate choice by the industry to focus on sweet, fruity, or menthol flavors that attract a young audience, mask the bitterness of tobacco, and facilitate initiation. Flavored products also help broaden the industry's target audience by reducing gender differences in consumption. In Jordan, where smoking has historically been more prevalent among men, the use of shisha and flavored cigarettes has fueled a worrying increase in consumption among young girls. Flavors thus act as a vector of social normalization, transforming tobacco into an attractive and less stigmatized product for a teenage audience. Beyond taste, product presentation in the sales area is a powerful lever of influence. The researchers noted that 95,000 Pakistani stores placed packs at child height, often among candy, toys, or school supplies. In Egypt, 35,000 stores adopted the same practice, and half directly associated cigarettes with sweets. In Jordan, 23,000 points of sale placed products at child height, and nearly a third displayed them alongside sweets. These visual strategies contribute to normalizing tobacco products by integrating them into children's everyday consumption patterns. The frequent absence of visible health warnings further accentuates this normalization, leaving young people with the image of an ordinary, colorful, and easily accessible product.

Single-unit sales, easier access to cigarettes

One of the report's most alarming findings concerns the continued sale of single cigarettes, a practice that makes tobacco even more financially accessible to young people. In Egypt, 85,000 retail outlets located around schools offered this method of sale, despite a ban on sales to minors. In Jordan, one in five stores adopted the same practice, while in Pakistan, almost all outlets (99,500) were affected. Single-unit sales significantly reduce the purchase price, allowing children and adolescents to purchase a cigarette for a nominal sum, without having to pay for a full pack. This retail method facilitates early experimentation and encourages the rapid establishment of regular consumption. Available data shows that in Pakistan, nearly 40% of young people who have already smoked report having lit their first cigarette before the age of ten, a figure partly explained by this very high accessibility to the product and financial accessibility. In Egypt, a large majority of adolescents surveyed as part of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey stated that they were able to purchase cigarettes without difficulty in stores, despite the legislation in force. These practices demonstrate a failure by retailers to comply with the legislation in force but also the inability of control systems to effectively protect minors. The sale of single cigarettes constitutes a strategic lever for the industry; by lowering financial barriers, this sale increases opportunities for initiation and builds customer loyalty from adolescence. By targeting young consumers with cheap, easy-to-obtain products, often sold in close proximity to schools, the industry ensures a renewed customer base.

Urgent measures to protect younger generations

In light of these findings, STOP calls on governments to immediately adopt strong measures to limit the influence of the tobacco industry around schools. The report recommends, among other things, the establishment of minimum distances prohibiting the sale and advertising of tobacco and nicotine products near schools. The organization also calls for reducing the density of points of sale and for the imposition of a system of compulsory licensing for retailers. STOP also recommends banning the sale of single cigarettes in Egypt and enforcing this ban in other countries, banning flavored products that particularly appeal to young people, and strictly enforcing complete bans on advertising and promotion at points of sale. These measures, already proven in other parts of the world, are essential to ending the massive exposure of children to tobacco and nicotine products and to guaranteeing the next generation a protective environment, far from the influence of the industry.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

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[1] Press release, Retailers Near Schools Put the Tobacco Industry's Addictive, Deadly Products in Children's Reach, STOP, published September 22, 2025, accessed September 23, 2025 National Committee Against Smoking |