To the Esteemed Members of the United States Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services,
We, the undersigned citizens and concerned organizations, hereby formally petition your esteemed bodies to enact a comprehensive ban on all forms of tobacco and e-cigarette advertising across the Internet. The digital landscape has become a pervasive and unregulated frontier for marketing these harmful products, circumventing existing protections and endangering public health, particularly among our nation's youth.
For decades, significant strides have been made in public health by restricting tobacco advertising on traditional media like television and radio. However, the proliferation of the Internet has created new avenues for tobacco and e-cigarette companies to reach vulnerable populations, often through sophisticated and insidious methods. These digital marketing tactics include, but are not limited to:
Social Media Campaigns: Utilizing platforms popular with adolescents and young adults, often employing influencers and viral content to normalize and glamorize product use.
Targeted Advertising: Employing advanced algorithms to deliver personalized ads based on user data, often reaching individuals who are most susceptible to addiction.
Email Marketing and Pop-up Ads: Directly pushing promotional content to users, often without clear age verification.
Stealth Marketing and Brand Ambassadors: Creating seemingly organic content that subtly promotes products, blurring the lines between genuine content and paid advertisement.
Lack of Age Verification: Many online platforms and websites lack robust, enforceable age verification systems, allowing minors easy access to promotional content.
The consequences of this unregulated digital advertising are dire. We are witnessing a alarming surge in e-cigarette use among middle and high school students, reversing years of progress in reducing youth nicotine addiction. These products, often flavored to appeal to younger users, serve as a gateway to traditional tobacco products and pose significant health risks, including nicotine addiction, impaired brain development, and exposure to harmful chemicals.
A ban on Internet advertising for tobacco and e-cigarettes is not just a regulatory measure; it is a critical public health imperative. Such a ban would:
Protect Youth: Shield children and adolescents from pervasive marketing that targets their age group, exploiting their vulnerability and curiosity.
Reduce Nicotine Addiction: Limit exposure to products that lead to nicotine dependence, a gateway to lifelong health issues.
Reinforce Public Health Messaging: Complement existing public health campaigns by eliminating conflicting pro-nicotine messages in the digital space.
Level the Playing Field: Align online advertising regulations with those already in place for traditional media, creating a more consistent and effective public health framework.
Prioritize Health over Profit: Send a clear message that the health and well-being of our citizens, especially our youth, take precedence over corporate profits from addictive substances.
We urge Congress to enact legislation that prohibits all online advertising, promotion, and marketing of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, on all digital platforms, websites, and social media. We further call upon the Department of Health and Human Services to utilize its full regulatory authority to implement and enforce these prohibitions vigorously.
It is time to close the digital loopholes that allow these harmful industries to prey on our youth and undermine public health. We implore you to act decisively and protect the next generation from the dangers of nicotine addiction.
Sincerely,
The Concerned Citizens and Public Health Advocates of the United States
