Between 1999 and 2025, tobacco cigarette use among students in grades 7 to 12 in Ontario dropped sharply from 28.4 per cent to 3.5 per cent, according to data from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health cited by cbc.ca. Despite this long-term downward trend, public health experts warn that recent social media content featuring celebrities and influencers smoking threatens to reverse decades of progress against nicotine addiction.
Celebrity Images and Social Media Trends
High-profile figures including Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, singer Clairo, and Heated Rivalry actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams have recently appeared across Instagram and TikTok posing with cigarettes. Dedicated online accounts such as @cigfluencers, which has accumulated more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, regularly share photographs of celebrities smoking. Carolyn Baglole, an associate professor with McGill University’s department of medicine, told cbc.ca that the content makes it appear as though smoking is being glamorized again.
Content creators frequently normalize the habit using humorous captions. Posts defend influencers like Alix Earle by declaring that a cigarette does not count if smoked with a morning coffee, overseas, or while writing. Other viral posts promote social smoking—the practice of smoking only around peers—while some even suggest cigarettes can help alleviate loneliness or forge friendships.
Public Health Warnings and Addiction Risks
Health experts emphasize that no amount of tobacco use is safe, regardless of how casually it is depicted online. Baglole explained to cbc.ca that even social smokers risk developing a nicotine addiction that can lead to lifelong habits and significantly higher risks of chronic illnesses such as lung cancer. Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, noted that nicotine is exceptionally addictive, meaning even a small number of cigarettes can trigger cravings.
Health Canada identifies tobacco use as the leading preventable cause of premature death nationwide, contributing to more than 40 potentially fatal conditions, including heart disease and various cancers. Jared Oviatt, a smoker who operates the @cigfluencers Instagram account, told cbc.ca that he does not view the current celebrity trend as a permanent return to mainstream smoking. Oviatt stated that while cigarettes appear more frequently in culture now, he believes the trend is already nearing its peak.
Federal government figures reinforce that broad tobacco consumption continues to decline. Approximately 300,000 Canadians who smoked in 2023 reported quitting in 2024, leaving the adult smoking rate at 11 per cent. Meanwhile, legislative measures internationally mirror these public health goals, with United Kingdom lawmakers approving a lifetime tobacco ban for anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are public health experts concerned about social media smoking trends?
Experts worry that constant digital exposure to celebrities and influencers smoking normalizes the habit and glamorizes nicotine use, which can lead to addiction among vulnerable demographics.
What do data trends show about youth smoking rates in Canada?
Data from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health shows that smoking rates among students in grades 7 to 12 in Ontario fell from 28.4 per cent in 1999 to 3.5 per cent by 2025.
How many Canadian adults reported smoking in recent federal data?
According to federal government figures cited by cbc.ca, just 11 per cent of adult Canadians reported smoking in 2024, with roughly 300,000 people successfully quitting that year.
What new regulatory measures have been introduced internationally?
United Kingdom lawmakers approved a comprehensive tobacco ban preventing the purchase of tobacco and vaping products by anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.
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