Early this year, Democratic lawmakers asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate e-cigarettes as findings of a survey show that electronic cigarette manufacturers appear to be targeting their products to the youth.
Findings of a new study published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday appear to support this claim as researchers found that millions of American children and young adults between 12 and 24 years old have been bombarded with electronic cigarette commercials.
If your kids love to watch shows on AMC, Comedy Central, Country Music Television, VH1 and TV Land, chances are they have seen these commercials as over 76 percent of e-cigarette ads were viewed on cable networks. The researchers noted that e-cigarette commercials were also shown in TV shows popular among teen viewers including "Big Brother," "The Bachelor" and "Survivor."
Study researcher Jennifer C. Duke, from the RTI International in North Carolina, and colleagues, also found that exposure of the youth to e-cigarette commercials has jumped 256 percent within two years from 2011 to 2013 and this is widely due to the aggressive advertising of blu eCigs, which was purchased by Lorillard Inc. two years ago.
About four in five e-cigarette commercials that were seen by young TV viewers were for the blu eCigs brand and while the ads appear to be targeted for adult audiences, the researchers said that the language used in the commercials can potentially lure the youth to use e-cigarettes.
The benefits and risks of using e-cigarettes remain to be a subject of debate. Advocates for the device contend that it allows smokers to quit smoking much easier and that e-cigarette vapors have fewer toxins compared with cigarettes, making e-cigarettes a safer option to smoking traditional tobacco products. Critics, on the other hand, fear that the use of e-cigarettes can lead to smoking and that the substances used have their own health risks.
The researchers of the study, which was funded by Tobacco Free Florida, expressed concern that children are seeing more ads that promote e-cigarettes and this could lead to an increase in the number of young e-cigarette users.
"If current trends in e-cigarette television advertising continue, awareness and use of e-cigarettes are likely to increase among youth and young adults," the researchers wrote.
In the light that the health risks of e-cigarettes are not yet fully established, health experts urged parents to open a dialogue with their children about the risks of the substances found in the device.
"We don't know the potential harm [of these products]," Duke said. "Certainly nicotine use isn't something most Americans want for their children. The FDA should strongly consider regulating these messages on television."
