Young and powerful
Youth are not just leaders of tomorrow – they are changemakers, capable of inspiring one another and driving impactful change, says World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
'By empowering young people, we can create a sense of ownership in the fight against tobacco,' he said.
Agreeing, STOP – a network of academic and public health organisations operating globally as part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use – stressed the importance of schools sending the right message to kids.
'Around the world, tobacco products are being promoted to young people, so we have to make sure that we are empowering them to make the right choices for their health and future,' said STOP director Jorge Alday.
'As we educate kids about the dangers of cigarettes, we should also be educating them about all these other harmful tobacco products that are out there like Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs), e-cigarettes or vapes, and nicotine pouches.
'None of these are safe and all of them contain significant amounts of nicotine that children, especially, should not be ingesting,' he added.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids president and chief executive officer Yolanda Richardson said it's important to remember that young people will always be the target market for these harmful products.
This, she stressed, is because people start to smoke and use nicotine products when they are young.
'If these products can be glamorised with flavours, colours and parties – it makes it that much more interesting for your people,' she said, calling on all stakeholders to work together in ensuring that the world's youth lead positive, healthy and useful lives.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, she said, was founded more than 25 years ago to reduce tobacco consumption in the United States, particularly among young people.
Two years later, the organisation expanded its efforts globally and is now engaging with more than 60 countries to put in place policies that reduce the consumption of tobacco.
'At the centre of our work is always a belief in the power of young voices to keep the movement strong, honest and energised.'
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