(Yicai Global) Sept. 14 -- Weibo Corp.'s [NASDAQ:WB] Chinese social media platform, Weibo, removed the cigar-smoking 'cool' emoticon from its built-in emoji package on Sept. 13, after pressure from the Beijing Tobacco Control Association. They also suggested Tencent Holdings Ltd. [HKG:0700] takes similar measures and removes the 'smoking' emoji from its social media platforms QQ and WeChat.

"We appreciate the action of Weibo since it is very inappropriate to equate smoking with something 'cool', which can induce young people on social media to take it up" said Zhang Jianshu, chairman of the BTCA.

Some 20 percent of junior middle school students across China have tried tobacco, according to an investigation by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and this tobacco epidemic among youngsters cannot be ignored, Zhang said.

Despite a nationwide smoking in ban in enclosed public spaces, in practice rules are only strictly enforced in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, however local initiatives in other areas, such as Sichuan are also falling in line.