Tobacco companies are targeting teens, says Cansa

According to the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa), an alarming number of teenagers and young adults are addicted to tobacco products.

Cansa launched a campaign ahead of World No Tobacco Day, which was commemorated on Friday, to promote stronger regulations that shield youth from harmful tobacco products and deceptive advertising practices.

Cansa says young people are increasingly exposed to the allure of tobacco products, which pose a significant threat to their health and well-being, through extensive social media and streaming platform campaigns.

Tobacco products are being sold, displayed and marketed in ways that attract kids, the organisation says.

“Tobacco use is a major contributor to a host of cancers. It’s responsible for 25% of all cancer deaths worldwide, amounting to an estimated 2.5 million deaths annually. Smoking accounts for about 85% of all lung cancer deaths, highlighting the critical need for concerted efforts to decrease tobacco use globally,” says Lorraine Govender, Cansa’s national manager of health programmes.

“Worldwide, more than 38 million young people, aged 13 to 15 (about 10%), use some form of tobacco. The South African Global Adult Tobacco Survey conducted in 2021 indicates that 23.9% of youth between the ages of 15 and 24 use tobacco products,” she adds.

Misleading marketing

“In the past, tobacco companies were allowed to sponsor music and sports events, often on tertiary education institution campuses, where they would distribute free samples to encourage teenagers to try their products,” says Govender.

Now, as strict advertising and sponsorship regulations no longer allow this type of marketing and because of the ban on tobacco-related adverts, tobacco companies have had to find new, less obvious ways in which to entice people, especially the youth, to smoke their products, she adds.

Govender says the result is that the tobacco industry has resorted to misleading marketing. “For example, e-cigarettes are presented by tobacco companies as less harmful than ordinary cigarettes, with flavours such as ‘blueberry ice’, ‘cool mint’ and ‘creamy tobacco’, which are known to be appealing to youngsters.

“They are marketed as ‘reduced risk’ and ‘smoke-free’, however, these products, like tobacco, contain addictive nicotine and pose health risks and undermine efforts to reduce the number of people who develop cancer and die from it.

“We owe it to the next generation to protect them from tobacco products and deceptive online advertising and counter the industry’s aggressive tactics aimed at renewing its customer base.”

Cansa says the sophisticated use of digital platforms by tobacco companies to market to young people complicates the enforcement of advertising restrictions.

Tobacco products flood the market

“Heated tobacco products are promoted as a healthier alternative to smoking, however, their long-term effects are still being studied. These products are designed to heat actual tobacco without combustion. They produce an aerosol (not smoke) containing nicotine.

“Hookahs or water pipes are used for smoking flavoured tobacco. The tobacco is heated by charcoal, and the smoke passes through water before inhalation. Hookahs are popular in social settings with some parents even allowing their children to use them. However, they still pose health risks due to the inhalation of tobacco smoke and other harmful substances, such as carbon monoxide, metals and cancer-causing chemicals.”

The 2023 Big Tobacco Tiny Target South Africa study, conducted by the South African Tobacco Free Youth Forum and part of a global campaign, observed 409 points of sale (POS) in South African cities that sell tobacco and nicotine products (TNPs) within a 300m radius of primary and secondary schools.

The findings included that about 68% of cigarette displays are at a child’s eye level and that e-cigarettes are the most popular emerging products sold.

Nearly two-thirds of the POS sell flavoured cigarettes, about 38% sell snuff, close to 30% sell hookahs, nearly 19% sell cigars, 15% pipe tobacco and 7% snus (moist oral tobacco). Nearly half of the POS selling and advertising TNPs are spaza and small grocery shops.

About 20% of university students and 16% of secondary school learners reportedly use tobacco, according to the study.

“Schools play a significant role in bringing these figures down. For schools to effectively prevent and decrease tobacco use among their learners, they must create an environment that encourages anti-tobacco beliefs and behaviours. While making sure that no learners use tobacco on school premises is helpful, also prohibiting tobacco use by teachers, other school staff and visitors sends a much more powerful and constructive tobacco-free message,” says Govender.

She says one way to create anti-tobacco awareness among learners is to get them involved in interactive tobacco-free projects.

“To reinforce the school’s tobacco-free policies and strengthen its related programmes, schools could offer learners opportunities to work on projects to lower the pro-tobacco influences at school and in their communities. And of course, school premises should be completely off limits to tobacco companies.”

Cansa visited numerous schools in May to hold focus group discussions with grades four to seven learners, educating them on the dangers of tobacco use and how the tobacco industry is targeting them.

Schools can access Cansa’s website for educational material for their no-tobacco campaigns.

Cansa is advocating for the passing of the Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill.

Members of the public can help Cansa to strengthen tobacco control efforts by signing up as volunteers.