Sratement Unmasking Tobacco Industries Protecting Children to Secure Their Future

On this World No Tobacco Day (31 May 2025), the International Network of  Health Promotion Foundations (INHPF) reaffirms our commitment to protect  children and young people from the escalating harms of tobacco and nicotine  products. We join the World Health Organization (WHO) and global partners in  calling for urgent actions to “Unmask the Appeal” of tobacco and nicotine  products. 

The use of nicotine products like vapes and nicotine pouches is skyrocketing.  Vaping among school-aged children in some countries is alarmingly prevalent,  even two to three times higher than cigarette smoking prevalence. 

The INHPF is particularly concerned by the aggressive tactics employed by the  tobacco and nicotine industries using appealing product designs, alluring  flavors, and youth-friendly marketing to create a false sense of safety that  attracts adolescents to this lifelong harmful addiction.  

As the global landscape of tobacco and vape marketing evolves, so must our  collective response. We call on governments, public institutions, and  communities to take bold and coordinated actions to: 

• Prioritize prevention across systems—align policies in health, education,  digital safety, and trade to stop the tobacco and nicotine industries from  targeting children and young people.  
• Strengthen regulation and enforcement—pursue a complete ban of  vapes, or ban sales to minors, ban flavours, and close regulatory  loopholes. 
• Comprehensive bans of all tobacco advertising, promotion, and  sponsorship, including both direct and indirect advertising, as well as  cross-border activities and digital media. 
• Protect public health from industry interference—fully implement Article  5.3¹ of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Invest in community-led solutions—ensure sustainable funding for health  promotion to build resilient, health-supportive environments.

Collectively, INHPF members remain committed to fostering knowledge  exchange, strengthening regional collaboration, and scaling effective,  evidence-informed strategies that uphold every child’s right to grow up in  environments that promote health, equity, and resilience—free from  manipulation, misinformation, and addiction. 

On this World No Tobacco Day, we reaffirm our collective responsibility to act  decisively. We urge leaders across sectors to prioritize current and future  generations’ well-being over harmful industries’ interests. A tobacco-free  generation depends on the actions we take today.