Companies including British American Tobacco (BAT) will be barred from promoting e-cigarettes on Instagram and other social media sites as a result of a ruling by the UK’s advertising watchdog on Wednesday.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated Instagram posts from BAT e-cigarette brand Vype, as well as rivals Ama Vape, Attitude Vapes and Global Vaping Group.
Complaints from health groups had argued the posts were likely to appeal to people below 18 years of age.
The ASA ruled that BAT’s posts breached online advertising rules including the use of celebrities such as British singer Lily Allen.
Its ruling means BAT and the three other firms must immediately stop using Instagram to promote e-cigarettes in the UK, stop using influencers and remove any posts that breach UK advertising rules.
In complaints filed by lobby groups Action on Smoking and Health, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products, the companies were also accused of using models who appeared to be under 25, which is prohibited in the UK.
Tobacco companies have been investing millions of dollars in their e-cigarette businesses as sales of traditional cigarettes decline in developed economies.
But a spate of vaping-related deaths and illnesses and high teen addiction to e-cigarettes have raised concerns over the safety of these devices.
In the United States, 52 deaths and nearly 2,500 lung illnesses have been associated with vaping.
Simon Cleverly, BAT’s group head of corporate affairs, said the company would abide by ASA’s decision, remove the relevant posts and amend its Instagram account.
The companies are allowed to provide factual product information such as the name, content and price of their e-cigarettes on their own websites.
“This is a major step forward in stopping the tobacco industry from promoting its new addictive products to children and teenagers,” said Anna Gilmore, director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath.
“But given that cigarette sales are falling and tobacco companies are desperate to recruit young people into using these new products, ongoing vigilance is essential,” she said.
BAT, the maker of Dunhill cigarettes, reported vaping products revenue of £189 million for the first half of this year, up from £118 million a year earlier.
“While this is a mild negative for BAT’s UK revenue stream from vape products in the UK, it’s immaterial to the bottom line,” Liberum analyst Nico von Stackelberg said in a note.
UK bans e-cigarette ads on Instagram, other social media
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UK bans e-cigarette ads on Instagram, other social media
- Big tobacco has been investing millions of dollars in e-cigarette businesses as sales of traditional cigarettes decline
- But a spate of vaping-related deaths and illnesses and addiction have raised concerns over the safety of these devices
Europeans push back at US over claim they face ‘civilizational erasure’
- “Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure,” Kallas told the conference
MUNICH: A top European Union official on Sunday rejected the notion that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” pushing back at criticism of the continent by the Trump administration.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addressed the Munich Security Conference a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a somewhat reassuring message to European allies. He struck a less aggressive tone than Vice President JD Vance did in lecturing them at the same gathering last year but maintained a firm tone on Washington’s intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its policy priorities.
Kallas alluded to criticism in the US national security strategy released in December, which asserted that economic stagnation in Europe “is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure.” It suggested that Europe is being enfeebled by its immigration policies, declining birth rates, “censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition” and a “loss of national identities and self-confidence.”
“Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure,” Kallas told the conference. “In fact, people still want to join our club and not just fellow Europeans,” she added, saying she was told when visiting Canada last year that many people there have an interest in joining the EU.
Kallas rejected what she called “European-bashing.”
“We are, you know, pushing humanity forward, trying to defend human rights and all this, which is actually bringing also prosperity for people. So that’s why it’s very hard for me to believe these accusations.”
In his conference speech, Rubio said that an end to the trans-Atlantic era “is neither our goal nor our wish,” adding that “our home may be in the Western hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe.”
He made clear that the Trump administration is sticking to its guns on issues such as migration, trade and climate. And European officials who addressed the gathering made clear that they in turn will stand by their values, including their approach to free speech, climate change and free trade.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that Europe must defend “the vibrant, free and diverse societies that we represent, showing that people who look different to each other can live peacefully together, that this isn’t against the tenor of our times.”
“Rather, it is what makes us strong,” he said.
Kallas said Rubio’s speech sent an important message that America and Europe are and will remain intertwined.
“It is also clear that we don’t see eye to eye on all the issues and this will remain the case as well, but I think we can work from there,” she said.
