Pop Culture Revival Could Resurge Teen Smoking Rates
Health experts are concerned that the re-emergence of smoking as a ‘cool’ trend in pop culture could undo decades of progress in reducing teenage smoking rates. While CDC and FDA data shows that Gen Z youth have the lowest smoking rates on record in 2024, concerns are growing that social media influencers and celebrities are reviving the image of smoking as an attractive and desirable behavior.
Instagram accounts like @Cigfluencers, which feature celebrities such as Sabrina Carpenter, Ben Affleck, and Natalie Portman smoking, are contributing to this narrative, potentially influencing younger generations. Dr. Neil W. Schluger, a pulmonologist, acknowledges the significant public health achievements in reducing smoking rates but warns of the growing risks of a cultural re-normalization of smoking, which could re-ignite a harmful association with youth culture and coolness.
Multiple studies show that adolescents and young adults who watch smoking-related content are more likely to begin using tobacco products in the future, but those risks are magnified when they engage with tobacco content on social media. Influencers can be influenced by marketing dollars and can attract younger generations, particularly if the channels used are popular among younger people, such as with social media.