Smoking rate among US adults

American smoking rates have fallen as YouTube uploads have multiplied, which sounds like a public service announcement nobody asked for. The cigarettes are leaving. The vlogs are arriving. Whether the trade was wise remains unclear.

Two opposing trends with separate causes. Smoking rates have declined steadily for decades thanks to taxes, public health campaigns, indoor bans, and changing social norms, while YouTube uploads have exploded with the smartphone revolution and the creator economy. One habit was regulated out; one habit was platformed in.

So the correlation is one health miracle and one attention disaster, both running their courses. Neither caused the other. Both reshaped a decade.