ECig Ads Luring Teens and Young Adults Jumps 321
In the last several years, advertising for e-cigarettes has spiked. And since the product is not yet regulated in the same way as conventional cigarettes, that means some particularly impressionable populations are being targeted young people. Marketing has increased during programming that caters to adolescents and young adults, according to a new report published in the journal Pediatrics showssomething that has had activists and lawmaker up in arms for some time. Advertising exposure for e-cigarettes increased 256 for young people ages 12 to 17 from 2011 to 2013. During the same period, exposure for young adults ages 18 to 24 spiked 321. Over 75 of this advertising was shown on TV networks that cater to these age groups including AMC, Country Music Television, Comedy Central, WGN America, TV Land, and VH1. Over 80 of these ads were for the e-cigarette brand, blu eCigs. Specifically, the researchers report advertising was present on the top rated shows, "The Bachelor," "Big Brother," and "Survivor." More than 80 of the advertisements were for a single brand, blu eCigs. Also troubling is the fact that the study authors noted a lack of public health messaging against e-cigarettes. This off-balance poses health risks, they propose. There is still much we don't know about the safety of e-cigs, or about how well they work to help people quit see our recent 5 sketchy things we still don't know about e-cigs, but recent reports have shown they produce carcinogens, and another recent report found they had only a modest impact on helping highly motivated people to quit. The FDA recently announced the agency is expanding its jurisdiction to cover e-cigarettes which thrilled the makers of such devices, as we reported. It proposed a first-time ban on their sale to minors and a requirement for health warnings on products nationwide. However, at the current time, advertising for e-cigs are not regulated like conventional cigarettes.