The popularity of "cigarette cards" has not decreased, and it is difficult to find replacement games?

The popularity of "cigarette cards" has not decreased, and it is difficult to find replacement games?

Half Moon talks about reporters Mao Zhenhua and Sui Fuyi

Cigarette cards, as the name suggests, are square cards the size of a card made from folded cigarette labels cut out of discarded cigarette packs. Because of its rich colors and wide collection, it has gradually become a new favorite of teenagers. In addition to being used as a gaming tool, cigarette cards have the risk of inducing teenagers to smoke, and they are also easy to be hyped by some vendors for gambling. Therefore, people from all walks of life have been calling for the prevention of young people from over-indulging in cigarette cards, but the popularity of cigarette cards has always remained high. Experts suggest that on the one hand, stronger governance measures should be taken, and on the other hand, conditions should be created for children to participate in more fun and healthy play activities.

Teenagers are at high risk of indulging in cigarette cards

Cigarette card games may seem like a simple and fun game for children, but as they grow in popularity, the negative effects on teenagers begin to appear.

——Many cigarette cards are picked up, which has the risk of contagious diseases. Zheng Pin, a professor at Fudan University's School of Public Health, has long been concerned about cigarette cards. She said that on the one hand, children usually distinguish the authenticity of cigarette cards by smelling the smell on them, and they are easy to accidentally eat harmful substances on cigarette cards when playing; On the other hand, some children pick up cigarette boxes, make cigarette cards, and even go through the garbage bins, and unclean garbage may induce diseases. Jin Liwen, director of the Department of Strabismus Amblyopia and Pediatric Ophthalmology of Fujian Quanzhou Aier Eye Hospital, reminded that the way for children to obtain cigarette cards is unhygienic, and if they do not pay attention to hand cleaning and then rub their eyes after playing games, they are prone to eye infections.

-- Promote the psychology of comparison and consumption, and even induce violations and crimes. In the eyes of children, cigarette cards are not only divided into grades, but also there is a difference between authenticity and falsehood, among which counterfeit cigarette cards are mostly printed and have a lower value than "real cigarette cards". Children's collection and exchange of cigarette cards will encourage comparison and consumption, and even induce crime. Pingdingshan in Henan, Fuyang in Anhui Province and other places have seen theft, theft and snatching by teenagers caused by cigarette cards. These cigarette cards, which are obtained through improper means, are called "wild tobacco cards" and seriously distort children's values.

-- Inducing teenagers to smoke in disguise. The reporter learned from some parents that some children asked their parents for money to buy cigarettes in order to get more cigarette cards. When it comes to older children, many stores don't ask about age. There is a high probability that these cigarettes will be tried by curious children, or even "shared". Li Enze, vice chairman and secretary general of the Public Interest Legal Committee of the China Association for Tobacco Control, believes that cigarette cards made from cigarette packs are themselves an advertising message, and "children are prone to curiosity in the process of collecting cigarette cards and further begin to try smoking".

There are many hurdles to be taken in the management of cigarette cards

Cigarette card games have been popular for a long time, and the market supervision departments in many places have taken rectification measures against cigarette card sales, but the governance effect is hardly remarkable.

During the investigation, the Banyuetan reporter found that the Internet platform is full of a lot of information related to cigarette cards, including tutorials on how to fold cigarette cards, special topics on rare cigarette cards, and strategies for collecting cigarette cards. On an e-commerce platform, a large number of sales information such as "if you want to play, you can play real cigarette cards", "real cigarette cards with glue marks", "real cigarette cards recognized by children" and so on. Mr. Lee said that the online public dissemination and sale of cigarette cards were not effectively regulated.

As an integral part of tobacco products, cigarette packs should not be separated and traded separately. However, as the price of cigarette cards is speculated by the market, the hidden economic interests behind it have been discovered, resulting in tobacco sales outlets, smokers, children and other parties participating in the resale of cigarette packs. "This reflects that the mainland still has deficiencies in tobacco control, and it is necessary to ensure the legal circulation and use of tobacco products and effectively protect the rights and interests of children." Li Enze said.

The "cigarette card" collected by primary school students Photo by Cao Yiming

It is worth noting that the social understanding of the harm of cigarette cards is not uniform, and many people's attitudes towards cigarette cards are vague and ambiguous. Zheng said: "Many parents are not fully aware of the potential harm of cigarette cards, and still treat cigarette cards simply as a game. Some parents said that since their son became obsessed with cigarette cards, his smoking grade has improved, and he will also find friends to collect cigarette boxes, and even take a look at the trash cans of the unit when he passes by. In the eyes of some parents, "this is better than indulging in online games".

In addition, the effective management of cigarette cards requires the participation and cooperation of multiple departments such as the Tobacco Monopoly Administration, the Health Commission, the Network Information Office, the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, and the Education Bureau. However, it is not easy to create synergies between departments.

Erecting a "firewall" of cigarette cards for teenagers

The Mainland's advertising law clearly prohibits the sending of any form of tobacco advertising to minors. Many respondents believed that the sale of cigarette cards to children was a disguised form of tobacco advertising and promotion, and should be banned. In May 2024, the Office of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued the "Notice on Carrying out Special Governance to Protect Minors from E-cigarettes", requiring local tobacco monopoly bureaus to cooperate with market supervision and other departments to discourage the sale of cigarette boxes, "cigarette cards" and other items to minors in convenience stores around campuses; Require local Internet enterprises to independently clean up commodity information such as "cigarette cards", and shut down illegal sales stores.

At present, some actions have been taken in various localities, such as Guizhou issued guidelines on the application of law to investigate and deal with the illegal acts of making and selling "cigarette cards", conducted a detailed investigation of the sale of cigarette cards in key places such as stationery stores and convenience stores around schools, and guided operators to consciously and actively refuse minors' requests to purchase cigarettes and cigarette packs; Relevant departments in Anhui Province have explored the use of cigarette cards and cigarette boxes as keyword labels, and included them in the early warning model to carry out holographic early warning of cigarette-related card packages in the delivery process, and cut off the circulation channels of cigarette cards; Shandong regularly conducts systematic training on laws and regulations for retail customer organizations in batches, especially for the serious legal consequences of selling cigarette cards and selling cigarettes to minors.

But overall, the results are not satisfactory. Zheng suggested that leadership and coordination should be strengthened to ensure the unity and effectiveness of governance actions. On the one hand, formulate and improve relevant laws and regulations to provide a legal basis and operational guidelines for the rectification of cigarette cards; On the other hand, various departments have carried out joint operations to severely crack down on illegal and criminal acts suspected of producing and selling cigarette cards. In addition, cigarette cards are directly related to tobacco culture, and the management of tobacco cards is inseparable from tobacco control actions.

At the same time, strengthen the management of platforms, promptly discover and block the dissemination channels of cigarette card-related information, and severely punish websites, platforms and accounts that publish cigarette card information in violation of regulations. Jiang Yuan, former director of the Tobacco Control Office of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested that cyber security education should be strengthened, the awareness of the rule of law and self-discipline of the majority of netizens should be improved, and the spread of cigarette card information should be consciously resisted, so as to jointly create a clear cyberspace.

The most important thing is for home, school and community to work together. It is necessary to widely carry out education on the dangers of cigarette cards, and through systematic activities, convey scientific and accurate information on cigarette cards and tobacco to schools, families and all walks of life, and continuously enhance social consensus. Yang Fuqiang, deputy director of the Institute of Sociology of the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, suggested that positive guidance should be strengthened for students, encouraging students to participate in sports, art and other activities that are beneficial to their bodies and minds, and looking for alternatives to cigarette card games.