For Immediate Release: March 31, 2025
Media contact: Yolanda Harris, [email protected] , 312-465-6438
Cook County to Youth on April Fool’s Day: Don’t be fooled by Big Tobacco
Public Health launches second run of its “Unfriend Tobacco” awareness campaign plus new social media toolkit for community organizations
FOREST PARK, IL – Cook County Department of Public Health is using April Fools’ Day to encourage young people in suburban Cook County to not be fooled by the lure of e-cigarettes, flavored vape and other tobacco products.
The department recently kicked off its annual tobacco prevention and cessation awareness campaign, entitled “Unfriend Tobacco: Your Lungs, Your Rules,” and chose April 1, which is also Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action , to publicly announce the campaign.
“Big Tobacco tries to hook young people by pretending vaping isn’t harmful, but we know that’s just not true. E-cigarettes and flavored vape products are dangerous and highly addictive,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “This April Fools’ Day, we’re sending a clear message to youth in Cook County: Don’t fall for tobacco companies’ tricks. Your health and your future are too important.”
In 2024, 2.25 million middle and high school students reported using a tobacco product, according to CDC data. The goal of the Unfriend Tobacco campaign is to raise awareness among young people ages12 to 24 about the harmful effects of using flavored vape and other tobacco products. The campaign encourages young people to make healthier lifestyle choices.
“It’s no secret that use of tobacco products can cause diseases and illnesses, including cancer, heart disease and stroke,” said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, Cook County Health CEO. “The best defense against these illnesses is to not smoke or vape at all.”
The Unfriend Tobacco campaign is in market for 11 weeks until June 8 and features a 15-second video short that is displayed on TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube. The campaign also consists of search engine marketing.
“This campaign meets youth where they are—on social media,” said Dr. Kiran Joshi, Cook County Department of Public Health interim chief operating officer. “We’re empowering youth with tools to help them learn about the harms of smoking and vaping, and we’re connecting them with resources to help them quit at Unfriendtobacco.com.”
The Unfriend Tobacco awareness campaign originally launched last May for six weeks and featured this video short on social media apps as well as streaming audio. The campaign yielded 2.3 million impressions and 18,000 unique visitors to UnfriendTobacco.com.
The Unfriend Tobacco campaign features messages and images that are geared toward diverse audiences. Black, Latinx and LGBTQ+ communities have been intentionally targeted by tobacco companies and are consequently at higher risk of forming dangerous addictions to harmful tobacco products.
Cook County Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program works with partners to strengthen state, county, and municipal tobacco prevention and control policies to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, prevent youth from starting to smoke and vape, promote quitting smoking, and identify and reduce tobacco-related disparities in suburban Cook County. The program is funded by a $785,000 Illinois Tobacco-Free Communities Grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Organizations that wish to share the Unfriend Tobacco campaign with their communities and audiences can access Cook County Department of Public Health’s new social media toolkit. Learn more about the campaign at UnfriendTobacco.com.
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Cook County Department of Public Health, an affiliate of Cook County Health, is a nationally accredited, state-certified local health department that enforces health regulations, monitors and responds to public health threats and promotes better health in suburban Cook County.