More and more young people state that they receive advertisements for nicotine products in social media – despite a new law from 2022 to reduce exposure.
Now there are demands for tougher laws.
– It comes up all the time, both on Instagram and Tiktok. For me as a snuffer, it’s sometimes fun to see new flavors, but the urge to buy more will come, says 23-year-old Emma Dubreuil.
White snus and e-cigarettes in different flavors are marketed in social media. But in radio and television, it is completely prohibited since August 2022 to advertise tobacco-free nicotine products. In the case of social media, advertising is not prohibited, but there are requirements for “special moderation”.
But it is far too vague what that means, A non smoking generation believes.
In collaboration with Novus, the organization has produced a survey which shows, among other things, that the number of young people who state that they receive advertisements for nicotine products in social media has increased from 25 percent to 35 percent in one year.
– One of the biggest mistakes is that this law is unclear, and we should have classified these products as tobacco from the beginning, says Helen Stjerna, general secretary of A non smoking generation.
Wants the legislation to be tightened
She believes that the legislation should be tightened.
– We need to achieve a zero tolerance for all forms of advertising aimed at children and young people. Then it is also unfortunate that it is allowed to flavor these products, so that they taste like candy.
23-year-old Emma Dubreuil is one of several young people who use white snus and she shares the image that there is a lot of advertising for nicotine-free products in social media.
– It comes up all the time, both on Instagram and Tiktok. For me as a snuffer, it’s sometimes fun to see new flavors, but the urge to buy more will come, she says.
What do you think would make you and others not choose these products?
– It’s clear that if it were to appear less on social media, I don’t think people would be as interested from the start. Now you become more and more interested, because you are fed with it all the time, says Emma Dubreuil.
Observes that the development is worrying
TV4 has sought Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed (KD), who declines an interview. But in a written comment, he says that the development is worrying.
“The fact that the use of tobacco and new nicotine products among children and young people continues to increase is worrying because children and young people are particularly sensitive to the addictive properties of nicotine. It is worrying that so many people state that it is easy to get hold of and that they are exposed to it on social media. Further measures must continue to be taken to break this trend,” he says.