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The rise of e-cigarettes exposes young people to harm
In some countries, marketing for tobacco products has been found to be rampant on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, despite community guidelines that regulate or ban their sale or promotion
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A new study has found that many teens using e-cigarettes appear to be inhaling significant quantities of nicotine without realizing. (Shutterstock/oes)
W
e’ll give you the good news first: Global rates of tobacco use are declining. The bad news? Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or “vapes” as the industry likes to call them to appear innocuous, like vapor) are proliferating, and Indonesia is soon expected to be the largest market in Southeast Asia.
Despite industry marketing that suggests otherwise, e-cigarettes are far from harmless. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is addictive and affects brain development, and they have been found to contain nearly 2,000 unknown chemicals, as well as known carcinogens.
Also, despite the claim that using e-cigarettes can help people wean off of cigarettes, studies have shown that e-cigarette use can lead to people reverting back to smoking and that most e-cigarette users continue to smoke, with cardiovascular risks higher than if they were to do either alone.
These findings are especially concerning in Indonesia, where two-thirds of adult men smoke and one-fifth of teenagers aged 13-15 smoke cigarettes.
As e-cigarette companies have faced legal and regulatory problems in the United States — their largest market — they have set their sights on Asia. While some Asian countries have reacted by banning or heavily regulating e-cigarettes, Indonesia has yet to implement effective policies. This, paired with the country’s large smoking population, has made Indonesia an attractive entry point to the region for companies.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris International is opening a new production facility in West Java to sell its heated tobacco product. Heated tobacco products, like e-cigarettes, are part of a newer group of products that the tobacco industry is investing in to secure its future amid a shrinking cigarette market.
It has been proven time and time again that companies that sell e-cigarettes want their products in young people’s hands, to have “consumers for life”. E-cigarettes are notoriously marketed to appeal to younger audiences, and since these newer nicotine and tobacco products are rising in tandem with social media, companies can more easily reach their ideal consumer.
