World No Tobacco Day 2025: Ban Flavored Tobacco and Nicotine Products to Protect ASEAN Youth – SEATCA

31 May 2025, Bangkok — To mark World No Tobacco Day 2025, themed “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products,” the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) is amplifying its call for ASEAN governments to implement comprehensive bans on flavored tobacco and nicotine products. Flavors—such as menthol, fruit, and candy—are among the industry’s key strategies to mask the harms of tobacco, attract youth, and hook a new generation of users into a lifetime of nicotine addiction.

SEATCA’s Executive Director, Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “The industry uses flavors to hide the harms of its tobacco and nicotine products, and these flavored products are a gateway for youth to initiate smoking, leading to lifelong addiction. Governments must ban these products to unmask the industry’s deceptive tactics and protect present and future generations from the harms of tobacco,” says Dorotheo.

Why the Ban Is Urgent and Necessary:

• Nearly 9 out of 10 youth use flavored products, with fruit, candy, and mint being the most common. Most adolescents who try tobacco or nicotine products start with flavored versions.

• Flavored tobacco and nicotine products are harmful. They deliver nicotine, a highly addictive poison, which harms adolescent brain development and increases the risk of heart disease, while electronic smoking devices (ESDs) emit carcinogens such as formaldehyde and arsenic.

• These products are designed and packaged to mimic toys or candy, promoted through influencers, online platforms, and placed near sweets at retail checkout counters —all tactics that deliberately target youth.

• Research shows that adolescents who use e-cigarettes are up to three times more likely to start smoking cigarettes, undermining public health progress.

SEATCA urges policymakers to implement the following measures:

1. Ban all flavors, including menthol and fruit variants, in tobacco and nicotine products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

2. Enforce a comprehensive ban on advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, including online platforms; mandate plain packaging of these products.

3. Strengthen enforcement by establishing monitoring systems and cross-border cooperation to combat illicit trade and online sales.

4. Raise awareness to educate youth, parents, and schools about the harms of flavored products.

5. Support quitting through accessible, youth-focused cessation services for users of flavored tobacco and nicotine products.

Through decisive and immediate action, governments can protect youth from being trapped by the manipulative tactics of the tobacco industry and reduce the burden of tobacco-related diseases.

ASEAN Youth: Unmasking industry tactics, inspiring a tobacco and nicotine-free future

Youth across the region are taking a stand and speaking out against tobacco and electronic smoking devices. SEATCA’s Tobacco Industry Denormalization (TID) Youth Ambassadors have launched creative campaigns to raise awareness:

• In Lao PDR, the youth advocates, Bam and Sisouk, are campaigning to discourage using cigarettes and electronic smoking devices. They are also sharing reels on TikTok to highlight the dangers of these products.

• Cambodian youth advocate, Amrethvatey, shared a heartfelt appeal on TikTok, urging peers to reject flavored tobacco products. 

• Indonesian youth advocate, Nina, is sharing reels about the dangers of flavored vapes and other issues on tobacco products on her Instagram and YouTube accounts.

• In Malaysia, Nadia and Syarah have set up a booth in Kelantan to promote WNTD and raise awareness about the dangers of smoking and vaping.