Over 78% of Youth Report Exposure to Tobacco Advertising

Research shows that exposure to tobacco advertising makes it more likely that young people will experiment with tobacco use, cigarettes or e-cigarettes, and smoking at an early age is linked with lifelong addiction. The study, “National Trends of Adolescent Exposure to Tobacco Advertisements: 2012-2020,” in the December 2021 Pediatrics (available online Nov. 15), examines how young people are being exposed to tobacco ads, whether for smoking or vaping. Researchers examined the nationally representative sample of 139,795 adolescents ages 11-19 years from the 2012-2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey and found the majority of teenagers reported exposure to tobacco ads. In 2020, 78.9% of teenagers surveyed reported exposure to cigarette advertisements, and 68% reported exposure to e-cigarette advertisements. The study shows that most exposure comes from retail store-based advertisements and internet-based advertisements. Researchers concluded that although significant strides have been made to reduce exposure to tobacco advertisements, more regulations, especially for e-cigarettes and ads in retail stores and on social media, are needed. Study authors state that additional research into advertising strategies and subsequent tobacco use in teenagers is important.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.