Wanting for a total ban on vapor products, the Department of Health (DOH) Health Promotion Bureau has secured high-level international backing for its anti-vape campaign from the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the government of Singapore.
Health secretary Teodoro ‘Ted’ Herbosa recently highlighted that up to seven in ten Filipino youths, aged 13 to 15, are currently using vapes and he emphasized the need to curb rising youth nicotine addiction.
Key support for the DoH’s anti-tobacco and anti-vape stance includes the WHO’s push to eliminate vapes from the local market and an extensive information drive that critically described the dangers of tobacco use and vaping.
On the other hand, Singapore’s commitment to eradicating these products across Southeast Asia is seen to align with the health department’s advocacy. Domestically, lady senator Ana Theresa ‘Risa’ Hontiveros-Baraquel has highlighted the insufficiency of current regulations, especially regarding online sales, but to effectively combat rising youth addiction, the DoH is advocating for strict measures as limiting flavors and highlighting the health risks of vaping.
Herbosa disclosed that he is planning to launch a campaign initiative similar to that being conducted by TBWA Singapore which utilizes innovative strategies to discourage people from using vapor gadgets.
The creative ang disruption firm states it simply: “Vaping looks cool until you meet Popcorn Lungs and Addicted Brain.”
“Vaping might look like a harmless choice or a clubbing flex, but it’s a trap dressed up in glossy packaging,” TBWA’s campaign adds in a blunt message behind the hard-hitting anti-vaping campaign ‘Don’t Toy With Your Life’ from Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB).
The campaign zeroes in on the tactics used to glamorize vaping—peer pressure, social media hype and influencer hype—while laying bare the very real health consequences behind the trend.
“Think nicotine addiction, stunted brain development and increased risk of lung injury and heart disease. Even the CDC warns that vaping is far from safe, especially for young users,” Herbosa quoted from the HPB ad.
While vaping remains illegal in Singapore, data shows that usage is on the rise. Between January 2024 and March 2025, more than 17,900 people were caught for possession or use of e-vaporizers. Among students, numbers have more than doubled, from 800 in 2022 to 2,000 in 2024. Offenders risk fines of up to S$P2,000 (approximately ₱96,400).
To break through the resistive clamor for vape use, the campaign leans into pop culture with a clever twist with posters styled like limited-edition toy packaging that reveal three grotesque figurines—Popcorn Lungs, Addicted Brain and Diseased Heart.
Herbosa described the figurines as designed to provoke a double-take: the visuals mimic collectable culture while confronting young viewers with vaping’s darker reality.
TBWA executive creative director Loo Yong Ping explained that “by reimagining anti-vape communication through the lens of collectable packaging, pop-culture visuals are transformed into a visually arresting warning to initiate important conversations on the serious consequences of vaping.”