In a series of actions to address the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use, the US Food and Drug Administration launched “The Real Cost” youth e-cigarette prevention campaign, aimed at educating kids about the dangers of e-cigarettes. The campaign targets nearly 10.7 million youth, aged 12-17, who have used e-cigarettes or are open to trying them, and features hard-hitting advertising on digital and social media sites popular among teens, as well as placing posters with e-cigarette prevention messages in high schools across the nation.

“E-cigarettes have become an almost ubiquitous — and dangerous — trend among youth that we believe has reached epidemic proportions,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, outlining measures to prevent the product from going to young people. Pointing out that it was more than casual experimentation among kids, he said, “Kids who use e-cigarettes are more likely to try combustible cigarettes.”

Over the past several years, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product by youth. In fact, more than 2 million middle and high-school students were current users of e-cigarettes in 2017, and the FDA now believes that youth use of e-cigarettes is reaching epidemic proportions. With its tagline, “Know the Real Cost of Vaping,” the campaign aims to educate youth that using e-cigarettes, just like cigarettes, puts them at risk of addiction and other health consequences. Nicotine can rewire the brain to crave more nicotine, particularly because adolescent brains are still developing. And e-cigarettes, among other things, can contain dangerous chemicals such as: acrolein, a chemical that can cause irreversible lung damage; formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical; and toxic metal particles, like chromium, lead and nickel, which can be inhaled into the lungs.

To get to the youth audience, the ads will run on age-verified digital platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, Facebook and Instagram.

Source: USFDA

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW