Say goodbye to smoking emoji on QQ app

QQ, a popular social networking app heavily used by younger people, has removed a smoker emoji from its mobile version to help curtail the smoking habit in China, the world’s largest tobacco consumer.

The move was made at the suggestion of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association. Meanwhile, the QQ computer version continues the emoji.

The removed image, which shows a commando with a cigarette in his mouth, is supposed to express leisure and ease. It has been now replaced with another emoji displaying a commando with a green leaf in his mouth.

QQ is an influential application created by internet giant Tencent. Another widely used social media application developed by the company, WeChat, has not changed the to feature smoking emoji.

Zhang Jianshu, director of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association, said letters were sent twice to Tencent, asking that the emojis showing a smoker should be withdrawn from their lists.

“It’s not appropriate to define smoking as leisure and ease. And that emoticon would mislead people about leisure, especially young people,” he added. “They may get the idea that smoking is a symbol of fashion and handsomeness.”

Tencent’s financial report showed that QQ’s monthly active user number reached its highest point in the second quarter of 2016 — 89.9 million. According to a research report by the company in 2014, QQ users born after 1990 accounted for 50.3 percent of the total.

Zhang said the association expressed gratitude to Tencent on Monday and hoped it would remove the same image on QQ’s computer platform and WeChat soon.

On Sept 13, Sina Weibo, Chi-

The smoker emoji on the QQ computer version has been changed to a commando with a green leaf in his mouth.