Schools have become one of the primary entry points for these devices
Uma geração de adolescentes enfrenta um risco que seus pais não conheceram sob essa forma: a indústria do tabaco, diante do declínio do cigarro tradicional entre jovens, reinventou-se com dispositivos eletrônicos projetados para seduzir mentes em formação. A Organização Mundial da Saúde, reunida em Genebra com representantes de 180 países, alerta que 15 milhões de jovens entre 13 e 15 anos já usam cigarros eletrônicos anualmente — e que os governos ainda não acompanham a velocidade dessa transformação. O que está em jogo não é apenas uma questão de saúde pública, mas a pergunta mais antiga da regulação: conseguirá a sociedade proteger seus mais vulneráveis da engenhosidade do mercado?
- A OMS declarou estado de alerta global: o avanço dos cigarros eletrônicos entre adolescentes está superando a capacidade regulatória dos governos.
- Escolas tornaram-se pontos de entrada estratégicos para a indústria do tabaco, que mira crianças e adolescentes de forma deliberada e sistemática.
- A narrativa de 'redução de danos' promovida pelas fabricantes está ganhando espaço em círculos políticos, e a OMS trava uma batalha ativa contra esse enquadramento.
- 180 países se reuniram em Genebra com o objetivo de alinhar as regulações para novos produtos de nicotina ao mesmo rigor aplicado aos cigarros convencionais.
- O desfecho dos próximos anos determinará se esta geração de jovens repetirá o ciclo de dependência de nicotina ou se a ação global coordenada conseguirá rompê-lo.
A Organização Mundial da Saúde emitiu um alerta contundente durante a abertura da 11ª reunião da Convenção-Quadro sobre Controle do Tabaco, em Genebra: os cigarros eletrônicos e outros produtos de nicotina estão crescendo rapidamente entre jovens no mundo inteiro, enquanto os governos avançam devagar demais para conter essa tendência.
Nas últimas duas décadas, o tabagismo entre adolescentes caiu cerca de um terço — uma vitória real da saúde pública. Mas a indústria não recuou. Ela se reinventou. Fabricantes desenvolveram cigarros descartáveis, sachês de nicotina e produtos de tabaco aquecido, todos projetados para atrair jovens. As escolas tornaram-se um dos principais pontos de entrada para esses dispositivos, segundo o diretor-geral da OMS, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, e a estratégia da indústria é deliberada.
Os números impressionam: estima-se que pelo menos 15 milhões de adolescentes entre 13 e 15 anos usem cigarros eletrônicos anualmente — milhões de jovens em pleno desenvolvimento, expostos à dependência de nicotina por produtos que não existiam uma geração atrás. A OMS não identificou benefícios comprovados para esses dispositivos, mas eles continuam se multiplicando.
A organização também enfrenta uma batalha narrativa. A indústria posiciona esses produtos como ferramentas de redução de danos, argumento que encontrou eco em alguns governos. A OMS rejeita essa lógica: esses produtos não reduzem a dependência — eles a perpetuam e criam novos ciclos de vício.
Em Genebra, 180 países se reuniram com um objetivo comum: impedir que a dependência de nicotina se instale em novas gerações. A recomendação da OMS é clara — cada nação deve adotar para cigarros eletrônicos e produtos similares as mesmas restrições aplicadas aos cigarros convencionais, sem exceções. O que for decidido nos próximos anos determinará se esta geração enfrentará os mesmos desafios de seus pais — ou se a ação global coordenada será capaz de mudar esse destino.
The World Health Organization issued a stark warning this week: e-cigarettes and other nicotine products are surging in popularity among young people worldwide, and governments are not moving fast enough to stop it. The alarm came during the opening of the 11th meeting of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Geneva, where WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus laid out a troubling picture of how the tobacco industry has adapted to a world where traditional cigarette use among youth has actually declined.
Over the past two decades, smoking rates among adolescents have fallen by roughly a third—a genuine public health victory. But the industry did not retreat. Instead, manufacturers pivoted. They developed disposable e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products, each designed to appeal to a demographic they see as strategically valuable: children and teenagers. Schools have become one of the primary entry points for these devices, according to Ghebreyesus, and the industry's targeting is deliberate and systematic.
The numbers are staggering. The WHO estimates that at least 15 million adolescents between 13 and 15 years old use e-cigarettes annually. That figure alone captures the scale of what public health officials are confronting—millions of young people in a critical developmental window, at risk of nicotine dependence through products that did not exist a generation ago. The organization has found no proven health benefits to these devices, yet they continue to proliferate.
What makes this moment particularly urgent is the industry's narrative. Tobacco companies market e-cigarettes and similar products as harm-reduction tools, a claim that has gained traction in some policy circles. The WHO is pushing back hard against this framing, arguing that these products do not reduce dependence—they reinforce it and create new cycles of addiction. The organization views the industry's pivot not as a retreat but as a strategic repositioning toward a more vulnerable market.
At the Geneva conference, 180 countries gathered with a shared objective: to prevent nicotine dependence from taking root in new generations and to shield public health policy from the tobacco industry's risk-reduction messaging. The WHO's recommendation is straightforward but ambitious. Every nation should adopt regulations for e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and other nicotine products that match the strictness applied to conventional cigarettes. No exceptions, no lighter touch for devices that claim to be safer.
The organization believes that coordinated action across borders can slow the advance of these products. But the challenge is real. The industry is well-funded, globally distributed, and skilled at finding regulatory gaps. Young people, meanwhile, are being marketed to through channels—social media, convenience stores, schools themselves—that traditional cigarette regulation never fully anticipated. What happens in the next few years will likely determine whether this generation of adolescents faces the same nicotine struggles their parents did, or whether coordinated global action can break the cycle.
Notable Quotes
Schools have become one of the primary entry points for these products, and tobacco companies view children and adolescents as a strategic market for increasing sales— WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
The WHO found no proven health benefits to e-cigarettes and views industry claims about harm reduction as a narrative designed to shield public policy from scrutiny— WHO statement at the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why is the WHO so concerned about e-cigarettes specifically? Aren't they supposed to be less harmful than regular cigarettes?
That's the industry's argument, and it's persuasive on the surface. But the WHO's concern isn't really about relative harm—it's about the fact that millions of teenagers who would never have smoked a traditional cigarette are now using these devices. The organization found no proven health benefits, and what it sees is a new pathway to nicotine dependence in young people.
So the industry deliberately shifted its target to youth after traditional smoking declined?
Not in a crude way, but yes. When smoking rates among adolescents fell by a third over two decades, the manufacturers didn't just accept that loss. They developed new products—disposable e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, heated devices—that are more appealing to young people. Schools became a primary entry point. That's not accidental.
Fifteen million adolescents using e-cigarettes annually—is that a global figure or concentrated in certain regions?
The WHO cited it as a global estimate for 13- to 15-year-olds specifically. That's a massive number when you consider it represents a new form of nicotine use that barely existed fifteen years ago. It's not concentrated; it's everywhere.
What does the WHO actually want countries to do?
Regulate e-cigarettes with the same rigor as traditional cigarettes. No lighter touch, no special exceptions for products marketed as harm-reduction tools. The idea is that coordinated action across 180 countries can contain the spread before it becomes normalized in another generation.
Do you think that will work?
It's hard to say. The industry is sophisticated, well-funded, and good at finding regulatory gaps. And young people are being reached through channels—social media, convenience stores—that traditional cigarette rules never fully anticipated. But without that coordinated push, the alternative is clear: another generation addicted to nicotine.