Wokeness finally convinces Gen Z to stop vaping! The ‘No smoke for Congo’ trend spreads on TikTok after people learn that children are being exploited in cobalt mines to make the batteries for the devices
Generation Z is finally ditching vaping, but not because of its myriad health concerns.
The younger generation’s love for vaping has sparked global concern, with disposable vapes set to be phased out in Britain soon under new government plans to prevent children becoming addicted to the devices.
But now there is finally a case strong enough to encourage socially conscious young people to go ‘cold turkey’ and show ‘solidarity’ with the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Protesters have acknowledged that the DRC is currently facing a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by increased demand for cobalt, a resource concentrated in Congo and used in the lithium batteries found in vapes.
Generation Z’s response to the problem was to stop using nicotine devices to reduce demand for cobalt in Congo – and follow the process on social media.
Younger generations have ditched vaping in an effort to tackle poor cobalt mining conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and they’ve taken to TikTok to explain why
Cobalt is the chemical element found in almost every tech gadget on the market today that uses a lithium battery.
Companies often promise that their cobalt is ethically sourced, but an abundance of evidence suggests otherwise.
A series of images taken from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 90 percent of the world’s cobalt is mined and used to make the batteries that power our technology-driven lives, raises uncomfortable questions.
People work tirelessly in the DRC’s vast polluted mines, where toxic red dust burns their eyes, and they risk skin diseases and a fatal lung disease.
For a wage of just 8 cents a day, the children must check the rocks for the telltale chocolate brown streaks of cobalt – the prized ingredient essential to the batteries that power gadgets including electric cars.
The cobalt is mined by unregulated labor and transported to Asia, where battery manufacturers use it to make their products lighter, more durable and rechargeable.
Generation Z has realized the connection between cobalt mining in the DRC and their love for their lithium-powered vapes.
In a videoa profile dedicated to encouraging vapers to quit shared a statement.
One filmed a long video encouraging her followers to ditch the fumes to support the environment and help people in the DRC
One content creator has been following her journey of quitting vaping ‘for Congo’ on TikTok by the hour
The trend has gained a large following on TikTok, with younger generations quitting vaping ‘in solidarity with the people of Congo’
She said: ‘This is why people stop vaping for Congo. Congo is currently facing a complex humanitarian crisis with more than six million people displaced.”
‘Much of this conflict is fueled by an increase in demand for cobalt. Lithium-ion batteries, found in vapors, contain cobalt. So by quitting vaping you reduce the demand for lithium-ion batteries, you reduce the demand for cobalt, and you can influence this problem remotely.
She concluded: ‘If you want to help, you can stop vaping, you can donate to organizations like the IRC and UNICEF, you can educate yourself and help spread the message, and you can be a more conscious consumer and hold companies accountable for what they go to. where their materials come from and the impact that has on the wider community.”
Elsewhere, other content creators have been tracking their progress since quitting vaping on TikTok.
One shared a video, writing: ‘Three hours no [smoke emoji] for Congo.
A sea of workers Shabara, one of the largest cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where hundreds of thousands of people are exposed to toxic chemicals every day while mining for the precious mineral
Children are not spared from the hard labor in the ‘artisanal’ mines of the DRC. Above, a child carries a bag of rocks in Kapata, southwest of Kolwezi
A woman carries her child as she searches for cobalt in the hills several kilometers northwest of the town of Kambove
Another posted a video saying: ‘Day three of no vaping in solidarity with the people of Congo.’
Individuals have also taken to X, formerly called Twitter, to share their thoughts on the debate.
One said: ‘I haven’t had nicotine in over a year. The only thing stopping me from vaping is Congo. I feel hopeless for the planet. I quit nicotine for my future potential children, but I don’t see a future, so what’s the point… only Congo for me.”
A second added: ‘I’m going to try to quit vaping in solidarity for Congo, I have one elf bar [right now] and if this dies, it could possibly be my last vape. This has been a journey.”
A third agreed, saying: ‘This is true [going to] It will be hard for a lot of you to hear, but if you really, and I mean really, support Congo, you would stop vaping.
Social media users have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to explain why they have stopped vaping
‘Vapes are made from cobalt. That same cobalt that people and children are mining for you so you can vape. #FreeCongo.’
A fourth wrote: ‘I love that these generations wouldn’t stop vaping for their health, but would stop in a heartbeat for Congo.’
A fifth said: ‘I just saw someone say this on TikTok but people who vape if you don’t stop for yourself, stop for the people of Congo! Vapes are made partly of cobalt and if you buy a new one every few days you are funding the genocide in Congo. FREE CONGO.’
Another agreed, writing: ‘If you haven’t stopped vaping for your health, stop vaping for Congo (DRC). Lithium is the main ingredient in most vape batteries, and the Congo mines (which are run, owned and operated by anti-humanity) produce most of the world’s electronic materials. #FreeCongo.’