Experts say celebrity smoking online may reverse declining trends

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“It’s almost like they’re glamorizing smoking again,” Carolyn Baglole, an associate professor with McGill University’s department of medicine, told cbc.ca regarding high-profile celebrities frequently appearing on Instagram and TikTok with cigarettes. Musicians Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, and singer Clairo, alongside actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams from Heated Rivalry, have recently surfaced in online posts smoking cigarettes while out in public. The trend spans dedicated social media accounts such as @cigfluencers, which holds more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and routinely publishes photographs of public figures smoking.

Social Media Trends Versus Declining Tobacco Data

Content normalizing cigarettes appears frequently across online platforms, with posts joking that cigarettes do not count when smoked with morning coffee, overseas, or during writing sessions. Other viral posts defend influencers like Alix Earle for smoking, while some claims even suggest that social smoking can help people make friends or ease loneliness. Experts emphasize that nicotine is extremely addictive and that casual or social smoking carries heavy long-term risks. According to Health Canada, tobacco use remains the country’s leading preventable cause of premature death and contributes to over 40 fatal or debilitating illnesses, including heart disease and various cancers. Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, noted that a small number of cigarettes can rapidly trigger cravings and addiction. Despite the visible online aesthetic, Jared Oviatt, a smoker who operates the @cigfluencers account, stated he does not believe mainstream smoking is staging a true comeback.

Student Smoking Rates Drop Significantly Across Canada

Statistical tracking shows that actual tobacco consumption continues a long-term downward trajectory despite digital exposure. Recent data from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health records a sharp decline in student smoking between 1999 and 2025. Among Ontario students in grades 7 through 12, smoking rates fell from 28.4 per cent in 1999 down to 3.5 per cent by 2025. Federal figures further indicate that approximately 300,000 Canadians who smoked in 2023 reported quitting in 2024, leaving just 11 per cent of adult Canadians actively smoking that year. Public health researchers say these declines must continue across every age demographic to prevent digital glamorization from reversing the trend.

Global Study Finds Smokers Lack Awareness of Tobacco Dangers

The online trend coincides with broader international policy initiatives and research findings regarding public awareness of tobacco hazards. A global study spanning two decades and following approximately 240,000 people across 46 countries found that many smokers worldwide still lack full awareness of tobacco dangers. Geoffrey Fong, principal investigator of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project and a professor at the University of Waterloo, led that research effort. Meanwhile, legislative bodies are moving forward with aggressive restrictions.

“I don’t see the comeback of cigarettes in celebrity culture as a true return to smoking as a mainstream habit. Are we seeing it more often? Yes. However, I also think we’re already nearing the peak of that trend.”

Jared Oviatt