According to a report by the Associated Press on December 19, The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, along with more than 50 public health advocates from 10 countries, is calling on the two major media companies, Hearst Communications Inc. and Condé Nast, to stop promoting tobacco and nicotine products to teenagers online.
Two companies, the publishers of magazines such as "Seventeen," "Cosmopolitan," "Vogue," and "Glamour," have teamed up with Philip Morris International (PMI) to promote products like IQOS and ZYN nicotine pouches to young people.
This kind of promotion is being online published in multiple countries and regions including Spain, Eastern Europe, Mexico, Latin America, and the United States. In the United States, paid advertisements for ZYN nicotine pouches appear on websites such as "Seventeen" and "Cosmopolitan," paired with articles like "34 Best Gifts for Teenage Girls" and "Top Christmas Movies for Teens.
The youth anti-smoking movement and five other organizations earlier this year sent letters to these two companies urging them to immediately terminate their partnership with PMI. However, these two companies continue to promote their products to young people through online channels. Last week, advocates from around the world participated in a global social media action week, calling on publishers to cease advertising campaigns targeting young people.
According to evidence collected by the Youth Smoke-Free Movement, magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Glamour, ELLE, and Esquire are partnering with PMI in multiple countries to promote IQOS as a fashionable lifestyle accessory on social media. Based on Meta's advertising policies for Facebook and Instagram, paid content promoting tobacco and nicotine products is prohibited. In Spain, online advertising for IQOS and other tobacco products is illegal. These findings suggest that both companies are helping PMI circumvent Meta's tobacco advertising policies and violating advertising laws in at least one country.
Smita Baruah, Vice President of Tobacco Control at the Global Youth Tobacco-Free Movement, stated:
Magazines like "Seventeen" are helping one of the world's largest tobacco companies reach out to teenagers and young people online, which is simply shocking. Hirst and Condé Nast allow PMI to advertise IQOS and ZYN in popular lifestyle magazines, exposing readers to harmful and addictive products.
PMI, a tobacco company, continues to seek new ways to target teenagers. It is now time for Hearst and Condé Nast to stop allowing tobacco companies to use their readers and end their partnerships with major tobacco companies.
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