Influencers recruited in anti-vape campaign as import crackdown continues

The government has called in popular social media influencers in an effort to curb soaring rates of vape addiction among young Aussies. See who they are.

Cricket legend Ellyse Perry and Tik Tok influencer Ella Watkins will star in a new campaign to persuade young Australians to quit vaping as import bans on the products are about to be toughened.

Health Minister Mark Butler has launched a new influencer-led youth vaping campaign, to highlight harms of e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction.

It comes as the government revealed it has seized more than 360,000 vapes worth almost $11 million since new laws banning the importation of single use disposable vapes took effect on January 1

From March 1 the regulations will be further toughed to include:

· the banning of the importation of all vapes without a licence and permit,

· the closure of the personal importation scheme for vapes, and

· strengthened quality and safety standards for therapeutic vapes.

Cricketer Ellyse Perry will be fronting the campaign as import bans on the products are about to be toughened. Picture: Prarthna Singh

Tik Tok influencer Ella Watkins will star in a new campaign to persuade young Australians to quit vaping. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Later this year the government will ask parliament to approve even more draconian measures that will aim to prevent domestic manufacture, advertisement, supply and commercial possession of non-therapeutic and disposable single use vapes.

And it will limit the types of flavours that can be used in vapes, limit the amount of nicotine they can contain and require them to be supplied in pharmaceutical packaging.

TikTok features more than 18 billion posts with the hashtag #vape and Instagram is home to more than 18,000 ‘vaping influencer’ profiles solely dedicated to promoting vaping, Mr Butler said.

The government wants to combat these messages by using its own influencers to push back on pro-vaping messaging on social media.

“There is an enormous amount of misinformation and online advertising designed to lure teenagers into vaping,” he said.

Cricket legend Ellyse Perry. Picture: Getty Images

Olympic diver Sam Fricker will also be involved in the campaign to stop vaping. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“It’s pretty clear that teenagers don’t watch TV or listen to Health Ministers, much as I might like them to, which is why we’ve partnered with influencers that young people listen to: from comedians, to sport stars and gamers, and everyone in between.

The Government campaign will use music streamer ‘Spotify’ and school leaver resource ‘Year13’ to launch its anti-vaping campaign.

A range of influencers popular with 14-20 year olds will feature in the campaign including Ellyse Perry, Ella Watkins, computer game tiktoker JackBuzza.

Other influencers involved include the YouTube comedians the Fairbairn Brothers, Olympic diver Sam Fricker, sustainability and environment advocate Lottie Dalziel.

“As a professional athlete, I know that even occasional vape use would have significant consequences for both mental and physical performance on and off the field,” said Ellyse Perry.

Jack Buzza said “in the gaming and content space, a lot of young people vape without understanding the health consequences of that choice, including the addictive nature of vaping.”

‘THEY EMBALM DEAD BODIES IN THIS STUFF’

Vapes are wrecking the teeth and jaws of young people in a way similar to illicit drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamine.

The damage is occurring so fast users aged in their 20s are requiring expensive crown work that is usually the preserve of older patients.

“When you vape, and same with cigarette smoking and a lot of those illicit drugs as well, they cause mouth dryness,” The Australian Dental Association’s vaping expert Dr Sue-Ching Yeoh said.

“And so you lose the protection that saliva affords, so your teeth are more likely to decay in weird spots along the gum line, for instance, and in between teeth.”

E-cigarettes also contain formaldehyde which could place users at risk of oral cancer.

“This is stuff that they embalm dead bodies in and you’re sucking this into your body,” Dr Yeoh said.

“It’s a known carcinogen and is known to cause cancer of the mouth or cancer in the lungs.”

Australian Dental Association vaping expert Dr Sue-Ching Yeoh. Supplied

“Dentists are seeing a trend of patients aged 12 to 15 years presenting with black bacteria on their gums – previously this bacterium had been found in older adults who vape,” Dr Dilhan Rajasingham, Associate Dentist from Maven Dental Collins Street in Melbourne, said.

Bad breath, dental cavities, yellowing of teeth, mouth sores and fungal infections of the mouth have all been linked to vaping.

“When vape juice is heated it can potentially damage enamel and irritate soft tissue. As the ingredients tend to be thick and sticky, vapers may be at a higher risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease,” Queensland’s Chief Dental Officer Dr Mark Brown said.

According to University of Queensland dentist Dr Arosha Weerakoon “the drying effects” of propylene glycol and glycerol, common ingredients in vape liquids, cause a sensation known as “throat hit”.

“This drying effect reduces saliva production, which is crucial for maintaining oral cleanliness and health,” Dr Weerakoon said.

Bad breath, dental cavities, yellowing of teeth, mouth sores and fungal infections of the mouth have all been linked to vaping. Picture: iStock

Scientists who have analysed vapes have found they can contain up to 200 toxic chemicals, including nicotine and those found in paint stripper and weed killer.

Dr Rajasingham said one of the “worst cases” he had seen was of oral damage caused by vaping was in a patient aged in his 20s who had never smoked but who had taken up social vaping and needed extensive crown work.

“They’ve basically gone from a relatively healthy mouth to a lot of gum disease, so a lot of inflammation, swelling, bleeding,” he said.

“All of the teeth dried out and they were quite brittle when they’re putting force on them at night-time. They were basically breaking off chunks of their back molars.”

Dr Dilhan Rajasingham, Associate Dentist from Maven Dental at their practice in Melbourne. Picture: Aaron Francis / Herald Sun

Dr Rajasingham said the devices are causing a phenomenon known as “vapers tongue” where patients lose the sense of taste and feeling in this body part and it becomes numb.

He said he has even come across patients who have suffered soft tissue burns in their mouths from the heated coils in the vaping apparatuses.

The spontaneous explosion of vaping devices has also caused traumatic mouth and facial injuries in vapers.

Cancer Council NSW spokeswoman said the organisation’s Generation Vape study had found 18 to 24 year olds “are already experiencing the negative health effects of vaping including poor oral health with reports of stained teeth, sore throat, discoloured tongue and mouth wounds or infections”.

The Council’s most recent survey last month found these negative health experiences were contributing four in ten vapers intending to quit in the next 30 days to 6 months.

Originally published as Influencers recruited in anti-vape campaign as import crackdown continues