Just like avocado is synonymous with the Millennial, vapes have become a symbol of Generation Z: the demographic cohort born between 1997 and 2012.
Despite the well-documented health risks, getting Zoomers to surrender their vapes has so far been a losing battle. In two separate pieces of vaping regulation, the former Labour Government attempted to crack down on the habit by declaring all vaping products must have removable or rechargeable batteries and child-safety mechanisms, among other measures.
Yet new research has found Kiwis are among the most dedicated vapers in the developed world, with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) finding 8.2 percent of people aged 15 or older regularly vape in Aotearoa.
While potential impacts on cardiovascular and respiratory health and other largely unknown long-term risks haven't been enough for Gen Z to put down the vape, a movement beginning to burgeon on TikTok may hold hope for encouraging more young people to finally part with their puffing devices.
The movement in question is urging active vapers to quit the habit to stand in solidarity with the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a nutshell, electric vehicles and many consumer electronics such as smartphones and vaping devices are often powered by cobalt, a metal primarily used in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Last year, about three-quarters of global production was mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation known to use child labour, particularly in its mining industry.
Reports documenting the dire working conditions and deaths of child miners have made international headlines for years, prompting industries that produce and use cobalt to set voluntary standards for the responsible sourcing of the mineral - but unsafe, hand-dug artisanal mining and child labour persist, as per the Washington Post.
According to Amnesty International, the Congo's expansion of industrial-scale mines - where child labour is forbidden - has led to other human rights abuses, including sexual assault and forced evictions of local communities. And demand for cobalt is only projected to rise, with the International Energy Agency predicting a 20-fold increase by 2040.
#FreeCongo
In a video shared to TikTok last month, 25-year-old US content creator Kristina - who goes by the username @itskristinamf - declared she was quitting vaping after learning of the child labour and inhumane working conditions taking place in the Congo's mines.
The video, captioned, "This world is insane and I don't wanna contribute any more to it" along with the hashtag "#FreeCongo" has since amassed over 1.8 million views and more than 434,000 likes.
Kristina said while she rarely replaces her phone, television or other electronics, she is constantly buying new disposable vapes.
"The only thing I genuinely buy all the time is my vape, which has cobalt in it. My vape has literally the thing they mine in it," she said.
"Look up what is going on in the Congo right now, and you look at your vape, I swear you'll never see it the same."
She added that after learning of the reported human rights abuses, she no longer felt "comfortable" taking a "hit" of her vaping device.
"I'm going to quit vaping for the Congo," she claimed.
Many viewers announced in the comments section that they also intended to quit the smoking alternative out of "disgust" at the mining industry, with the top comment jokingly exclaiming: "Ladies we're switching to cigarettes, do it for Congo."
"The war in my Congo has been going on for years. I appreciate the words now, but it is a long battle. Please keep speaking," said another, while a third added: "I can't believe the first time I'm hearing of Congo is a video about quitting vaping."
"I could never quit because I don't want to, but for Congo I will," one wrote, with a fifth declaring: "Throwing mine away right now, free Congo."
"I keep saying I'm going to quit but never do; I'll quit for Congo though," another viewer weighed in.
Kristina's declaration prompted several other online creators to share videos encouraging people to give up their vapes in a show of solidarity, with fellow TikToker @flowerboyserge also going viral for his take on the movement.
"I love this generation - y'all wouldn't quit vaping for your own health, but once y'all found out those vapes were made of minerals mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo, y'all were able to quit cold turkey? You've got my respect," he said in his video, which has since amassed over 4.5 million views.
"I am also quitting for the Congo," one viewer wrote in the comments, with a second adding: "I've been cranky but it's worth it! Free Congo."
"I just found out through this video, goodbye vapes," a third weighed in.
Discussing the #FreeCongo movement on Monday morning, AM co-hosts Ryan Bridge and Melissa Chan-Green discussed the possible impacts of the TikTok-driven campaign and whether ditching the vape should be equated to a stand against the mining industry.
"'I wouldn't do it for my health, but I will do it for the kids in the Congo - I will stop vaping'," Bridge summarised.
"More to the point, the phones they are posting on use the very same cobalt taken from the very same mines that power their vapes - so are they willing to give up the phones and TikTok?" He mused.
"I do think young people are really interested in social justice, and there's a lot of shame if you're not doing your bit... so if you say to young people who are vaping, 'You're actually killing the climate', some would stop," Chan-Green weighed in, noting that phones aren't as disposable in nature as many vaping devices.
Pulling his very battered iPhone from his pocket, Bridge declared he was an unassuming ally, having refused to replace his mobile despite its cracked casing.
"I'm doing it for the Congo," he quipped.
