Bringing digital TAPS protection to the global stage
Fortunately, even more countries may see stronger protections against digital tobacco advertising. In February 2024, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) will be held in Panama. At this meeting, Parties to the FCTC will be asked to note and consider the adoption of an additional set of guidelines for the inclusion of his TAPS regulations on entertainment media in the digital space.
The FCTC currently includes guidelines for TAPS regulations in Article 13, but these guidelines were adopted in 2008. The new set of supplementary guidelines acknowledges that the advertising and media landscape has changed significantly since then. TAPS operates across television, radio, print and outdoor media, and regulations need to keep up.
The guidelines specifically address the growing problem of cross-border TAPS, which is likely to proliferate in the digital space. Direct promotion of tobacco and nicotine products, social media influencer campaigns, sponsored event promotion, sponsored news, “infotainment”, etc., across borders, including in jurisdictions where the products being promoted are illegal. Easy to share.
An example of this cross-border promotion is the rampant portrayal of tobacco company branding in F1 races. When tobacco companies first began sponsoring his F1 teams in the late 1960s, race participants became exposed to cars with cigarette advertisements, but the influence extended far beyond the race track. was not exceeded. Television audiences around the world tuned in to his F1 race broadcasts, which grew significantly in size, but his adoption of the FCTC in 2003 ended most of F1 Tobacco's sponsorship deals. did. In recent years, Big Tobacco's involvement in the sport has been revived. Now, thanks to race broadcasts, the team's strong presence on social media and esports, and the Netflix series Formula, the tobacco industry's marketing of F1 cars is easy to reach people around the world, including children and teenagers. and quickly became visible. 1: Act to survive. ”
The new guidelines being considered at COP 10 specify that the TAPS ban should apply. all Media, including digital platforms. They encourage governments to work with the media industry to reduce depictions of tobacco in entertainment media, and to require digital media platforms to enforce existing TAPS bans and other important measures.
