By Albert Allotey
Accra, July 27, GNA – The African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) has called on governments and other stakeholders to implement digital regulations that prohibit tobacco promotion in virtual environments frequented by young people.
“We urge civil society organisations, technology companies, digital innovators as well as youth networks to unite in the defence of public health in all spaces, physical or virtual.”
The ATCA made the call in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Saturday in Accra.
It said the tobacco industry by targeting the metaverse aimed at promoting and normalizing nicotine use among children and adolescent, exploiting regulatory grey areas to subvert existing advertising laws.
“This is not innovation; it is manipulation, and it must be confronted urgently with swift regulatory actions,” it stated.
The statement said, “The tobacco industry’s encroachment into metaverse is not just marketing shift. It is a calculated move to reshape social norms and recruit a new generation of users through digital seduction.”
It noted that Africa’s youth, empowered yet exposed by rising technological connectivity, and are at heightened risk, pointing out that, “It is our duty to act decisively.”
“We, as tobacco control actors, must rise to the moment of transformation with equal innovation and determination. We must not wait for regulation to catch up, we must lead the regulation process.
“The metaverse must not become a loophole in global health protection,” the statement said.
It called on stakeholders to engage with platform developers to integrate strict anti-tobacco content guidelines, age verification tools, and moderation mechanism while strengthening global surveillance of industry behaviour across digital ecosystems, with coordinated reporting and accountability.
The rest are investment in youth education and awareness, empowering families to navigate virtual worlds safety and resist harmful influence; and to reaffirm commitment to WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, expanding its relevance to emerging technologies and cross-border marketing.
It noted that as African youth were increasingly active in virtual spaces including gaming, social media, and immersive platforms, the tobacco industry was adapting its playbook to lure them into addiction.
“The recent Guardian report reveals how smoking avatars and branded content are infiltrating the metaverse, glamouring tobacco use in environments where regulation is weak, and youth engagement is high,” it stated.
The statement said, “This trend is especially dangerous in Africa where 70 per cent of the population is under 30, internet penetration has doubled since 2015, with mobile-first accessing dominating, and digital literacy is rising, but critical awareness of online manipulation remains low.
“The fight to curb tobacco use transcends borders, industries, and platforms, and we cannot stand by as addiction is repackaged and disguised as entertainment,” it said.
“As ATCA, we pledged to expose, control, and dismantle these emerging threats. The future of our children, and the integrity of Africa’s digital promise, depends on it,” it stated.
It stressed, “Together, we must ensure that the metaverse becomes a space for imagination, not a breeding ground for tobacco and reaffirms our collective resolve against tobacco industry interference in all its forms.”
The ATCA is a non-profit, non-political Pan-African network of civil society organisation dedicated to promoting public health and curbing the tobacco epidemic in the continent.
GNA
Christian Akorlie