World No Tobacco Day is observed annually on May 31, highlighting the global commitment to combat tobacco use. This year, the campaign's theme is "Unmasking the Appeal," which seeks to unveil the deceptive tactics employed by the tobacco and nicotine industries aimed at luring new users, particularly vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls upon governments, advocates, and the public to unite against these manipulative strategies that threaten public health and jeopardize the wellbeing of future generations.
The business strategy of tobacco and nicotine industries is straightforward: Youth are being specifically targeted because the tobacco industry needs to replace the millions who die and those who quit tobacco use every year. To achieve this goal, it needs to create an environment that promotes uptake of its products among the next generation.
The campaign seeks to unveil the truth about how the tobacco and nicotine industries create an allure around their products, employing deceptive marketing techniques that encourage initiation, sustain addiction, and deter quitting. These tactics are not mere oversights; they are calculated strategies designed to capture the next generation of consumers.
As traditional forms of advertising have been curtailed in many countries, the industry has cleverly exploited regulatory loopholes, utilizing various channels—including product design, packaging, flavors, and digital platforms—to enhance their appeal. Tobacco and nicotine industries use influencers to promote and make their products appealing to diverse groups, including young people. Misleading product descriptions are conveyed to sell these products to those who are often not fully aware of what they are consuming.
For decades, the tobacco industry has weaponized packaging as an advertising tool, employing bold colors, sleek designs, and misleading imagery to attract consumers while downplaying the inherent dangers of their products.
More recently. there has also been an alarming expansion in the range of products, from heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes to nicotine pouches and lozenges, yet the industry's tactics remain unchanged. Products are being repackaged to appear trendy, high-tech, and even luxurious, posing significant risks, particularly to youth. E-cigarettes are often promoted under the guise of “next-generation” and allegedly “reduced-risk” innovations., and as cessation devices. None of these claims have been fully substantiated; instead, alarming evidence on their adverse population health effects is mounting. Emerging evidence shows that e-cigarette use is associated with increased risk of lung disorders, poisoning, injuries and burns, and can also cause cardiovascular effects of increased heart rate and blood pressure.
To combat these harmful practices, WHO strongly advocates for comprehensive ban the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products, including on digital platforms and introducing uniform plain packaging for all tobacco products. In addition, banning all forms of flavours and additives, misleading descriptors and imagery and closing regulatory loopholes that allow new flavored products to infiltrate the market.
Given the intricate association of social media use and youth smoking, WHO is also urging the countries to take measures that safeguard from industry manipulation through social media and protect youth from falling prey to the harmful new products.
Implementing plain packaging—stripping away colors, logos, and shapes—has proven effective in reducing the appeal of tobacco products, particularly among young people. It also helps to eliminate misleading perceptions that certain products are less harmful, thereby amplifying the visibility and effectiveness of health warnings.
Plain packaging shifts the focus back to what truly matters: health, especially the health of our children and future generations. It is a cost-effective, impactful measure that has already been adopted by 26 countries worldwide, demonstrating its feasibility as a global best practice.
These initiatives align with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, specifically Articles 11 and 13, which address packaging and labeling, and the advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products, respectively. Furthermore, international law permits trade restrictions when necessary to achieve legitimate objectives such as protecting human health.
Sri Lanka has been a pioneer in tobacco control measures even before the WHO Framework Convention in 2003 and was amongst the first countries to ratify the Convention. The nation has achieved significant reductions in tobacco use through stringent laws that regulate smoking in public places, restrict advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, and prohibit the sale of smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, and flavored cigarettes.
Despite these advancements, the tobacco industry continues to find covert ways to target youth, particularly through social media. Health organizations in Sri Lanka have documented numerous instances of tobacco industry exploitation of social media channels to increase youth exposure to online tobacco marketing.
Sri Lanka now has the opportunity to lead the charge in protecting children from tobacco industry interference. Updating national tobacco laws to comprehensively ban advertisements on social media, prohibit single stick sales of tobacco, and introduce plain packaging is crucial. Strengthening the National Authority on Alcohol and Tobacco will be essential for effective enforcement of existing regulations and for monitoring compliance.
To counter industry tactics and safeguard public health—especially among the most vulnerable youth—comprehensive and forward-looking regulatory action is necessary. Collaboration between government entities and civil society is vital in this effort. Civil society plays a pivotal role in countering the tobacco industry's strategies through public education campaigns that raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use. By advocating for media campaigns with targeted messages, we can garner public and policymaker support for plain packaging while underscoring the relevance of WHO FCTC Articles 11 and 13. Additionally, monitoring and exposing industry interference through media campaigns and public statements will be critical in dispelling misinformation and enhancing public awareness.
Let us unite to resist tobacco industry manipulation and unveil the truth behind tobacco products. The WHO urges all countries to act swiftly and resolutely in safeguarding the health of both current and future generations. This collective endeavor is our shared commitment to fostering a healthier world.
- World No Tobacco Day 2025. Campaign page https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-tobacco-day/2025
- https://www.who.int/news/item/30-05-2025-who-calls-for-urgent-action-to-ban-flavoured-tobacco-and-nicotine-products
- WHO Science in 5. https://youtu.be/uprCNUE-ob8
- Tobacco fact-sheet: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco
- Electronic cigarettes: call to action. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/electronic-cigarettes---call-to-action#:~:text=Download%20(366.4%20kB)-,Overview,health%20harms%20to%20the%20population.
- WHO publication on restricting digital marketing: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/97892400772490
- The Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2020, Sri Lanka. https://www.nata.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=371:gats&catid=18:latest-events&Itemid=153&lang=en