A report from Vital Strategies' Canary project highlights the increasing use of virtual online spaces, including the metaverse, by tobacco and alcohol companies to market their products to young people. The report, presented at the World Conference on Tobacco Control (Dublin, 2024), details examples of companies utilizing NFTs, immersive events, and online game sponsorships to bypass traditional advertising restrictions. Dr. Melina Magsumbol of Vital Strategies India emphasizes that these companies are operating in unregulated spaces like the metaverse, using tactics such as creating NFTs to celebrate company anniversaries and embedding marketing within online games. Researchers express concern over the high proportion of young users (over half under 13) in the metaverse and the potential for increased exposure to harmful marketing. .

The Canary project, which monitors social media and news sites in several countries, found examples of this marketing in India and Indonesia, including metaverse art linked to tobacco companies. Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, chief executive of Vital Strategies, highlights the combination of social media's engagement techniques and the tobacco industry's expertise in addiction as a significant threat in this largely unregulated environment. The ease with which avatars can engage in activities normalizing smoking and vaping in the metaverse is a key concern.

This unregulated marketing in virtual spaces poses a significant challenge to public health efforts and existing regulations aimed at protecting young people. The lack of clear oversight and the rapid evolution of these digital platforms necessitate urgent action from regulators and policymakers to prevent a widespread normalization of harmful substances among youth.