Smokers in Hong Kong are facing a new risk in addition to health problems — public shaming

• Residents of Hong Kong have been told by Professor Lo Chung-mau to stare at public smokers.
• Lo hopes the measure will create a cultural perception of smoking as unacceptable.

Smokers in Hong Kong may soon be seriously uncomfortable lighting up in public, thanks to a call for residents to stare at smokers using tobacco products in designated smoke-free areas.

The idea was put forth by Hong Kong Secretary for Health and Hong Kong University Professor Lo Chung-mau. In a Friday Legislative Council meeting on health services, Lo said cigarettes harm everyone, not just the smoker, according to the South China Morning Post.

"When the members of the public see people smoking in non-smoking areas, even if no law enforcement officers can show up immediately, we can stare at the smokers," Lo said at the meeting. "When someone takes out a cigarette at a restaurant, everyone on the premises can stare at that person. I do not believe that person would dare to hit back at everyone in the restaurant, as they are simply staring."

Lo also said at the meeting he hoped uncomfortable staring would make smoking culturally unacceptable, in addition to penalties levied by law enforcement on people smoking in prohibited areas.

Various efforts to curb the smoking habits of Hongkongers have led to a sharp decline in smoking in the region. Since 2007, the government has prohibited smoking in all public indoor places and gradually banned smoking in public transport terminals, according to a paper summarizing the recent Legislative Council meeting.

Just 9.5% of people in Hong Kong still smoked in 2021, according to a 2022 government health and community press release. Though a marked improvement from the nearly 25% of the public who smoked in the 1980s, the release adds, the number falls short of the government's target of only 7.8% smokers by 2025.

To reach this goal, several other policies were proposed in the Friday meeting, including designating specific smoking areas and strengthening public education about the dangers of smoking.

Representatives for Lo did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.