Cobalt warning could turn young people away from e-cigarettes

On the TikTok network, outrage over the conditions of cobalt extraction in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reportedly sparked a wave of people abandoning e-cigarettes for this reason. Young people's interest in social justice could be a lever for raising awareness.

“I will stop vaping for the Congo.” The video by a content creator named Kristina has gone viral and has been shared 1.8 million times on the TikTok network[1]. The young woman expressed her revolt after learning about the conditions of cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Wanting to reduce her cobalt consumption and realizing that disposable electronic cigarettes ("puffs") are a source of waste of this mineral, Kristina announced that she was now giving up consuming puffs.

Broadcast in early November 2023, the video was not only widely shared, but it also generated dozens of comments where other young people also said they wanted to stop vaping for this reason.

Mining abuses spark outrage

Other videos on this topic then appeared in this wake and also called for people to turn away from vaping for the same reasons, starting a sort of trend on social networks. In one of them, relayed 4.5 million times, a content creator paid tribute to this nascent movement : "You wouldn't quit for your own health, but now that you know these vapes are made from a mineral mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, you're ready to wean yourself off 'the hard way'; you have all my respect."

Based on an Amnesty International report published in September 2023, several black spots of mining have been highlighted by whistleblowers. The exploitation of children in these mines is most often highlighted, but expropriations and massacres of villagers, forced labor and sexual violence are also among the arguments put forward. Although it is not completely absent, the environmental aspect seems less decisive here than the human aspect. Other batteries containing cobalt (mobile phones, laptops, etc.) are less questioned because, unlike puffs, these batteries are not thrown away after a single use.

Interviewed by the BBC, Christoph Vogel, a specialist in mining in the DRC, confirms the deplorable living conditions of the miners, but he believes that they are not specific to the cobalt sector, in this country or in the region.[2]He also regrets the “massive simplification” of information by digital activists, without necessarily being aware of the realities on the ground.

Double-edged sword of social networks

Since their appearance and success with young people and adolescents, social networks have so far mainly been used by manufacturers to promote their new tobacco and nicotine products. Thousands of influencers, who have different levels of notoriety, are thus financed to support commercial campaigns. This communication strategy usually proves profitable, social networks being today, according to a study, the primary source of advertising exposure for young people to these products.

With significantly fewer resources, public health actors have themselves taken over these media over the past twenty years. Beyond health information, human rights and the environmental awareness are part of the damage denounced by these actors in the fight against smoking. The highlighting of the damage caused to the African-American community by tobacco and nicotine products in menthol has thus been widely highlighted. Similarly, the denunciation by these same actors of child labour by the tobacco industry is part of this approach.

Keywords: social networks, TikTok, DRC, Congo, cobalt, disposable e-cigarettes, puffs

M.F.

[1] Andelane L, TikTok movement raising awareness on the Congo's mining industry encourages people to give up vaping, NewsHub.nz, published December 4, 2023, accessed December 6, 2023

[2] Chibelushi W, Congo cobalt: TikTokers quit vaping over mining concerns, BBC News, published 4 December 2023, accessed 6 December 2023