10 November 2021 (New Delhi): A new study from global public health organization Vital Strategies found that the tobacco industry is using Facebook to facilitate bidi sales, skirting India’s COTPA regulations designed to protect youth and consumers from harmful marketing. The report, “Selling Death on Social Media: How Bidis Are Reaching Consumers Online” details digital media monitoring data with 344 instances of bidi marketing on social media between December 2020 and August 2021, almost exclusively through Facebook (98%). Key findings in the report include: Facebook hosts at […]