Quit Tasmania has launched a new anti-vaping campaign targetting youth.
“Don’t Let Vaping In” is an online hub to raise awareness among young Tasmanians that vaping is highly addictive and harmful, urging them to act now and offering support options to quit.
Cancer Council Tasmania CEO Alison Lai said that vapes were getting into the hands of children and young people in Tasmania, and that despite early signs of success of the federal vaping laws, more work was needed to curb youth vaping.
“Cancer Council’s mission is to reduce the incidence and impact of all cancers for all Tasmanians, so it is deeply concerning to see the rise of vaping and smoking susceptibility increasing after reaching historic lows,” Lai said.
“Smoking remains the largest single preventable cause of death and disease in Australia, and we need to ensure we do everything we can to prevent uptake of smoking and vaping and encourage quitting.”
A 2023 Tasmanian study led by Cancer Council Tasmania of 12-17-year-old students showed a significant rise in vaping, with 11,000 students reporting having ever vaped (33%), up from 14% three years earlier, and for the first time in decades, an increase in the number of young Tasmanians susceptible to smoking tobacco.
Recent national research shows that young people who have vaped are 5 times more likely to take up smoking than those who don’t.
Quit Tasmania Director, Abby Smith, said younger people may find it easy to dismiss the less immediate health risks of vaping, but it can be alarming for them to realise how nicotine addiction is already taking hold – impacting their wellbeing and controlling them in the present.
“We know that nicotine harms adolescent brain development, particularly learning and memory and can worsen stress and anxiety,” Smith said.
“To create a campaign and online hub that truly resonates with young Tasmanians, we engaged with 282 young people through multiple rounds of research led by the University of Tasmania College of Health and Medicine (Menzies Institute for Medical Research and School of Medicine) in collaboration with Cancer Council Tasmania and the Department of Health Tasmania.”
Pip Cooper, Quit’s Social Marketing Coordinator knew a traditionally executed campaign wouldn’t connect with this younger generation, so messaging needed to be integrated into content the audience was already consuming on social media.
“Young people are so sophisticated in their use of social media, and with content trends changing very rapidly, we needed a campaign that was one step ahead of the game,” she said.
“Meeting the audience where they were already interacting (TikTok and Snapchat) was crucial to message cut-through, and the placement of the messages helped shape the creative.”
Minister for Children Roger Jaensch said e-cigarettes are not harmless and youth vaping is a major public health concern.
“We are seeing more young people becoming addicted to nicotine, most who have never smoked,” Jaensch stated.
“Public education campaigns are integral to the Tasmanian Governments’ approach to addressing smoking and vaping. This campaign is different. When you watch ‘Don’t Let Vaping In’ it certainly brings home the negative aspects of nicotine addiction and speaks to young people where they are.
“The response to the campaign so far has been incredibly encouraging, showing that young people are engaging and questioning vaping.”
Brought to life on Tiktok and Snapchat, the ‘Don’t Let Vaping In’ campaign highlights the dangers of vaping dependence by personifying addiction as an online troll. Presented as a real social media account, this antagonistic character is shown stalking, creeping and slowly taking control of young people’s social videos.
With trolling and addiction sharing many of the same manipulative characteristics, the campaign’s creators say that this frame of reference is used to help young people immediately understand the nature of addiction and recognise it in their own lives.
The ‘Don’t Let Vaping In’ campaign runs until June 2025 and is currently live on TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, with an interactive online hub providing resources and support for those looking to quit.
For support to stop smoking or vaping, young Tasmanians can go to quittas.org.au/dontletitin, text QUITVAPE to 0447 987 230 or call Quitline 13 7848. We are a Tasmanian-based service with professional counsellors, including those specialising in supporting young people, available between Mon – Fri, 8am to 8pm.
Tasmania’s vaping reforms progress
The Public Health Amendment (Vaping) Bill 2024 passed the Legislative Council today.
Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Roger Jaensch, said the Tasmanian Government is committed to strong action against vaping in our community.
“The vaping Bill is designed to curb the rising tide of youth vaping, safeguarding the health of future generations,” Jaensch said.
“In October last year, the national laws about the sale of e-cigarette products changed, meaning in some states adults can buy certain e-cigarette products over the counter in pharmacies without a prescription. However, the Tasmanian Government instead took a nation-leading approach to protect our community, particularly our youth, from the harms of vaping.
“Tasmania has retained the requirement that e-cigarettes can only legally be accessed through a pharmacy and that adults must have a doctor’s prescription to access e-cigarettes, e-liquid and vaping devices.
“The sale of e-cigarettes, e-liquid and vaping devices to people aged under 18 also remains prohibited in Tasmania.
“I am pleased the vaping Bill has now passed through both houses of the Tasmania Parliament so we can continue working towards all actions possible to protect our community from the harms of vaping. ”
The Australian Dental Association Tasmania Branch has backed the move.
“The passing of this legislation by the Tasmanian Government will restrict the availability of vaping devices and ensure that use of these devices is guided by medical professionals, which gives them suitable opportunity to provide advice regarding smoking and vaping cessation,” said ADA Tasmania President Dr Katelyn McCracken.
“The legislation will also reduce access to these devices for minors, reducing the chance of creating a new generation of people with nicotine addiction as well as reducing the future burden of the currently unknown long-term health impacts of vaping.”
