Tobacco imagery in TV shows and music videos is on the rise, with experts concerned about a resurgence of smoking in pop culture. According to the Truth Initiative's Lights, Camera, Tobacco? report, tobacco depictions in the 15 most popular streaming shows among 15-to-24-year-olds increased by 110% between 2021 and 2022. More than half (53%) of young people's most-watched shows featured tobacco imagery, including three of the top eight animated series such as The Simpsons.
Music videos double down on smoking imagery
Music videos have also seen a significant uptick. In 2021, almost 13% of top Billboard music videos depicted smoking; by 2022, that figure more than doubled to 28%. Celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Madonna, and Hailey Bieber have been photographed with cigarettes, and fashion brands Khaite and Dôen have distributed branded packs at parties. Zendaya's character Rue in Euphoria is shown smoking, reflecting a broader cultural shift.
Expert concerns over rising nicotine use
Rachael Andersen, Quit director at Cancer Council Victoria, expressed alarm: “We are concerned about people of any age taking up smoking. Young people are particularly influenced by their peer group. Gratuitous depictions of smoking in film and music, on streaming services, down fashion runways, across social media and amongst the celebrity elite all contribute to the false notion that smoking is ‘cool’.” She added, “When used as intended, smoking still kills two in three lifetime users.”
Australia has one of the lowest daily smoking rates globally, but the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 40% rise in nicotine consumption between 2017 and 2025. Parts of England have also seen smoking rates increase for the first time since 2006.
Young Australians report more smoking
Levi, a 22-year-old personal trainer and sport science student, said, “I definitely see a lot more people smoking than I used to.” He noted that many friends drive to find cheap black market cigarettes. Melbourne florist Briony Wright observed friends lighting up again: “Heaps of my friends smoke! They also go to the gym.”
Illegal tobacco trade fuels resurgence
The rise in smoking is tied to the illegal tobacco trade, which has grown from 12% of all tobacco consumed a decade ago to 80% in 2025. Black market cigarettes sell for around $25 a pack, sometimes as low as $10 to $15, compared to legal packs priced between $37 and $42. Australia's ban on recreational vapes in July 2024 may have driven some back to cigarettes. Levi explained, “I think a lot of people picked up smoking cigarettes as a way to weirdly try to stop vaping.”
Nostalgia and rebellion drive trend
Joanna Nilson, co-founder of fashion podcast Haute and Bothered, linked the trend to idealising “indie sleaze” from the early 2000s during Covid lockdowns. She also noted smoking's alignment with “thinness as currency” as an appetite suppressant. Hannah McElhinney, co-founder of Snack Drawer, added, “Smoking has always been about rebellion, and so when people want to rebel against their own health, cigarettes are naturally going to have their moment.”
Tobacco companies' cultural manipulation
The University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group found tobacco companies indirectly promote products by aligning smoking with youth culture and using influencers. In June, Australian fashion retailer Billy Bones Club had a complaint upheld over a YouTube ad depicting young people smoking, framed as part of a “rebellious youth lifestyle”. Andersen warned, “Smoking is highly addictive and causes 16 types of cancer. Sadly, 24,000 Australians die from smoking-related illness every year – that’s 66 families losing a loved one each day.”
McElhinney suggested public health campaigns could educate how “tobacco companies manipulate us through insidiously inserting themselves into culture”, making people less likely to fall for the tricks. She noted, “Over the past decade, subtle culture-led advertising has become best in class. As big tobacco continues to innovate and shapeshift, it’s hard for consumers and public health advocates to keep up.”
