Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent tobacco companies using (1) social media influencers, and (2) other media, to promote non-combustible nicotine products.

The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 covers the prohibition of tobacco advertising. The advertising of e-cigarettes is covered under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR).

The Department expects social media platforms to comply with the above regulations in the United Kingdom. The Advertising Standards Authority are responsible for dealing with complaints around tobacco and e-cigarette advertising.

The Department is currently undertaking a post implementation review of TRPR to assess if the regulations have met their objectives. A public consultation is currently open for responses, and provides an opportunity for comments to be made on this legislation.