Tobacco industry exploits social media and digital tools to expand markets
Channel: CNS
Date: 2018-09-16

CNS Special Correspondent Rahul Kumar Dwivedi was in conversation with Dr Becky Freeman, Senior Lecturer at School of Public Health, The University of Sydney and NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow. CNS is an official media partner of the 12th Asia Pacific Conference on Tobacco or Health (12th APACT) in Bali, Indonesia (12-15 September 2018).

Dr Becky Freeman shares her invaluable insight on how tobacco industry is exploiting social media and digital online tools, to lure our children and youth and hook them to deadly tobacco products. She also shares how tobacco industry is leveraging social media and digital tools to exponentially grow new markets of electronic cigarettes, heat not burn tobacco products, other forms of electronic nicotine delivery systems, etc.

Dr Becky Freeman rightly says that “The biggest fear of the tobacco industry is that smoking will no longer be socially accepted. They are the masters of using media to promote tobacco products right from the beginning, be it TV, radio, or newspapers. And they are doing the same in digital era too. So, governments should invest in monitoring online media, make tobacco industry report on their marketing budgets, and frame policies and legislation that includes online social media to curb tobacco consumption". 

‘Focus’ is a CNS video series on current global health and development priorities. This is episode 142.

Thanks

CNS Team
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