German E-Cigarette Industry Association Denies Accusation of Targeting Children by WHO

According to a report in Aerzteblatt on May 24, the German e-cigarette industry association (VdeH) recently responded to accusations from the World Health Organization (WHO), vehemently denying attempting to entice children into addiction. The association emphasized that they had already pledged in 2019 not to use cartoon images or other tactics that would appeal to children and teenagers in their advertising campaigns.

The World Health Organization recently criticized the e-cigarette industry in a report, accusing them of marketing e-cigarettes with vibrant colors and popular cartoon images, even going as far as portraying them as toys. The report states that out of 16,000 flavors, some such as bubblegum, candy, or vanilla ice cream are clearly liked by children. However, the German e-cigarette industry association argued that their target users are adults who want to reduce or quit tobacco consumption, and that some adults also enjoy flavors like bubblegum.

The German e-cigarette industry association acknowledges that despite advertising bans in Germany, some internet influencers are still promoting e-cigarettes. The association strongly condemns such advertising practices and has taken legal action against multiple violations of regulations. "We demand that authorities and platform operators more strictly enforce advertising bans.

The association also criticized the government's regulatory approach, believing it has led to widespread black market trading. They estimate that half of e-cigarettes are sold outside of the legitimate market, often containing non-compliant products.

According to data from the World Health Organization, "approximately 37 million adolescents aged 13 to 15 worldwide have already started using tobacco." This includes cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and snuff. Additionally, millions of adolescents are using e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, but they do contain nicotine. The World Health Organization states that due to the often high cost of e-cigarettes, many people switch to using tobacco products when finances are tight.

Given Kapolyo, a youth activist in Zambia, stated, "The e-cigarette industry hopes to get young children addicted as early as possible so that they can consume for a longer period of time.

The head of the World Health Organization department responsible for this area stated that the WHO is particularly concerned about the situation in the European region, which includes over 50 countries, stretching as far as Turkmenistan and Israel. Even with sales restrictions, teenagers can still order these products online, and authorities are currently not controlling this.

The World Health Organization is urging countries to more strictly limit the consumption of tobacco and other nicotine-containing products. This includes banning various flavors of e-cigarettes, prohibiting advertising, increasing taxes, and implementing 100% smoke-free indoor policies.