At at least one point in their lives, everyone has stumbled upon the “The Real Cost” campaign advertisements — unsettling videos that aim to educate teens about the risks of tobacco products. But despite the Food and Drug Administration’s campaign expenditures that exceeded $247 million within two years of its 2014 launch, as reported by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, as well as extensive advocacy targeting e-cigarette prevention since 2017, over 2.5 million young Americans continue the practice of vaping. The widespread use of e-cigarettes among Generation Z and the youth’s indifference to its health consequences have led researchers to regard this as an alarming epidemic. But recently, for reasons other than health concerns, TikTok users have initiated a movement on the app encouraging people to quit vaping.

For context, the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] is responsible for supplying nearly 75% of the world’s cobalt — a metal found in batteries of electronic devices, including vapes. Amid the high demand for this valuable metal, the DRC’s practice of cobalt mining raises serious human rights concerns, often described as “modern-day slavery.” According to Siddhartha Kara, the author of Cobalt Red, aside from the toxic properties of the metal, these mines have displaced hundreds and thousands of people, resulted in numerous cases of sexual assault, and facilitated the exploitation and trafficking of minors. “I have met children who had come from hundreds of miles away and have been brought through militia networks…and as they dig and earn their dollar or two, that’s what funds these militia groups,” Kara said in an interview with NPR.

In response to these dire circumstances, TikTok creator Kristina (@itskristinamf) posted a video on Nov. 15, educating her viewers about the conditions in the DRC and the role that daily appliances, such as phones and e-cigarettes, play in perpetuating this humanitarian crisis. Her video has since garnered over 1.5 million views and incited a wave of Gen Z users who have chosen to quit vaping in solidarity with the people of Congo. Although “The Real Cost” advertisements have rendered rather ineffective for many teenagers, the pursuit of justice proves to be a unifying force for this generation of advocates.