Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Round Table.
The UK just passed a radical ban: no tobacco for anyone born after 2008.
Meanwhile, cities like Shenzhen and Hong Kong are using AI and surveillance
to police public smoking, all in the name of clean air.
Gen Z is becoming the first nicotine-free generation, but can laws really kill addiction?
And where do we draw the line between protecting health and policing choice?
We are live from our studios in Beijing, this is Round Table, I'm Steve.
Thank you very much for being with us today.
And for the show, I'm with You Shun and You Shan.
First up, there are certain places in the world where your year of birth
determines whether you can ever legally buy cigarettes.
The United Kingdom has recently passed a landmark generational smoking ban,
ensuring anyone born after 2008 will never reach the legal age to purchase tobacco.
Meanwhile, here in China, cities like Shenzhen and Hong Kong
are also testing the limits of tobacco control through high-tech surveillance
and strict public bans to protect the collective "right to breathe."
From the rise of Gen Z’s nicotine-free generations to the ethical tug-of-war
over individual liberty, the public health landscape is undergoing a pretty big reboot.
But as governments move to legislate a smoke-free generation,