A personal reflection on how digital marketing and algorithm-driven content normalize nicotine products among youth, leading the author to almost purchase a vape for $4.
'A generation shaped by algorithms cannot simply outscroll nicotine marketing. I did not fully understand this until I was close to purchasing a vape.
'I remember growing up when television commercials lingered longer, like a jingle that stayed in my head for years. The’s campaign on family planning and TB DOTS from many years ago became a childhood memory for many Filipinos. Long before we understood their meaning, we were already singing along. Years later, we still remember that family planning matters and TB is treatable.
Advertising is powerful. This is why countries began banning cigarette advertising: not only to stop direct marketing but also indirect forms like sponsored events and branded merchandise. Public health experts understood early on that exposure to tobacco ads normalizes smoking, especially among young people. Today, the tobacco industry has shifted its strategies into digital spaces, where marketing is harder to recognize and regulate.
It now appears through influencer content, livestreams, product reviews, and algorithm-driven feeds that. A Filipino youth can be influenced by a creator living a continent away. For nicotine products, promotion is no longer limited to obvious ads but blends into everyday online content. Young people now carry billboards in their pockets, and a generation shaped by algorithms cannot simply outscroll nicotine marketing.
I did not fully understand this until I was close to purchasing a vape. One day, I saw a vape displayed in a convenience store. The price surprised me: ₱200 . I had assumed these devices were expensive and inaccessible.
At the time, I was under significant stress and found myself thinking about the flavors, the absence of cigarette smell, and how easy it would be to try it “just once. ” I was unsettled by how quickly I considered vaping after seeing it. I only walked away because I heard my mother’s voice reminding me to never smoke.
But if a single exposure could have that effect on me, what more on young people who encounter nicotine content daily online?repeated exposure to nicotine-related contenttobacco products approximately a year later compared to less frequent social media users. Adolescents exposed weekly to nicotine-related content on Tiktok arehigher risk for any tobacco initiation and for starting to use multiple products.
Tobacco companies understand that awareness is the first step of the marketing funnel, but unlike most consumer goods, this funnel does not end in purchase. It ends in addiction.when consumed exactly as intended. This deadly industry survives only by recruiting new users, often young people they can reach online with minimal legal barriers. , which lowered the minimum age for access to vape products from 21 years to 18, allows online advertising and sales of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
It has reopened the market to flavors attractive to youth. With the rise of influencer-marketing, AI-generated content, and subtle product placement, the line between content and advertisement is blurred faster than regulation can adapt. Even age-gating measures online remain weak. Society cannot expect young people like me to “choose freely” in a marketplace designed to capture our attention and shape behavior.
Protecting young people cannot rely solely on telling us to “make better choices. ” With only a partial ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship , we are playing a catch-up game we cannot win. Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, should align itself with global public health standards. Article 13 of the WHO FCTC requires parties to implement a comprehensive ban on all forms of TAPS, including cross-border and digital marketing.
This includes: Eliminating point-of-sale displays to ensure no one is exposed to tobacco and nicotine products in stores. Penalizing influencers, celebrities, and the tobacco industry for promoting nicotine use, whether direct or indirect. Cyresse Ann . Achilleos, 26, is the media and communications officer of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance and a member of the Global Youth Voices. Thought Leaders
Vaping Marketing Algorithms Youth Nicotine
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Christian youth group backs Pope Leo XIV’s warning vs. profit-driven AI, labor exploitationSummary:The Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) backed Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, 'Magnifica humanitas,' which warns against corporate, profit-
Read more »
NGCP blames plant shutdowns for grid alerts - BusinessWorld OnlineNATIONAL GRID Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) defended its handling of the back-to-back tripping of two 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines in Luzon early this month, saying the red and yellow alerts imposed in May were driven mainly by generation plant shutdowns rather than transmission failures.
Read more »
Global shares advance as US-Iran truce talks continueGlobal shares advanced on Wednesday as markets looked for signs of whether a shaky truce between the United States and Iran will be extended. European shares gained 0.5%, driven by auto and chemical stocks. Asian markets earlier gained, with Japanese and South Korean stocks hitting record highs, fueled by optimism over AI. MSCI's All-Country World Index also added 0.2%. Wall Street was also set for gains, with US stock futures up 0.3%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs on Tuesday, driven by renewed confidence around AI. Iran said on Tuesday US strikes near the contested Strait of Hormuz represented a gross violation of a ceasefire in place for nearly seven weeks. The US said its attacks were defensive in nature. A deal might not yet be as imminent as hoped over the weekend, however it seems talks remain on track despite the targeted US strikes. Overall, sentiment remained vulnerable as talks continued, aiming to reach a lasting halt to the three-month-long conflict that has rocked energy markets.
Read more »
BMI revises Philippine central bank rate hike forecasts to end-2026 as inflation pressures persistBMI now expects 100 bps additional rate hikes from BSP due to higher inflation averaging 6.1% in 2026, driven by oil shocks from the Middle East war, amid weak economic growth.
Read more »