Healthline Blocks Vaping Ads in a Decision to Serve Consumer and Partner Needs

In early September, the executive committee at Healthline Media made the decision to block vaping ads from all the sites in our network. 

We were first alerted through our Medical Network about the growing data, now more widely available, linking vaping to lung illness, hospitalization and death. Even though the data is not finalized yet and the investigation is still ongoing, we’ve concluded that the potential risk associated makes it a matter of public safety. 

As stewards of health information, we consider it our responsibility to get ahead of consumer confusion and provide our users with the most up-to-date medically accurate information. Our response therefore includes a three-point approach:

  1. News Content: We will produce news content to alert our readers to the potential hazards of vaping and the investigations that are currently in progress, and we’ll continue to follow the emerging reports on the subject and update our content as more information becomes available.  

  2. Content Integrity: Upon completion of the investigation, we will evaluate all our existing content that references vaping to ensure that it’s internally consistent and reflects the potential dangers.

  3. Blocked Ads: We will block vaping ads on our sites, and we’ve added the following language to every article on this topic:

    The safety and long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes or other vaping products still aren’t well known. In September 2019, federal and state health authorities began investigating an outbreak of a severe lung disease associated with e-cigarettes and other vaping products. We’re closely monitoring the situation and will update our content as soon as more information is available.

In addition to serving our consumers, we believe that our commitment to delivering high-quality, up-to-date, safe content serves the needs of our partners’ health brands as well. Our goal is to give them a context they are proud to live alongside, and a trusted relationship they are proud to be a part of.

About Healthline Media

As the #1 health media property in the US, Healthline Media reaches more than 94MM unique visitors each month (Comscore, August 2021). We provide credible health information with a compassionate approach.