For decades, smoking rates in Australia have declined due to strong tobacco control measures, such as plain packaging, smoke-free areas, and bans on cigarette advertising and promotion.

However, the tobacco industry is now targeting a new generation of young people through the promotion and sale of highly addictive products, such as vapes and nicotine pouches. Nicotine dependence and vaping rates among young Australians are increasing at an alarming rate. In 2022–23, nearly one in three children aged 12–17 years had tried vaping, up from just 13% ten years earlier.

Now more than ever, it is critical to call out and expose the tobacco industry's toxic strategies – including the novel products that the industry is deploying to addict a new generation to nicotine.