Tobacco industry was hardly slammed on Friday, as the World Health Organization called for a full ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in order to prevent young people from starting to smoke.

In a statement dated May 31, the organization said the tobacco industry is taking advantage of young people’s vulnerability to advertising and influence, encouraging them to smoking. May 31 has been designated World No Tobacco Day.

"The bombardment of messages through billboards, newspapers, magazines, radio and television ads, as well as sports and fashion sponsorships and other ploys, are meant to deceive young people into trying their first stick," Shigeru Omi, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, said in the statement, according to the Associated Press.

The young are the easiest target for the tobacco companies. In their ads, no matter of what kind, they falsely associate the use of tobacco products with qualities like glamour, energy and sex appeal.

The organization warned that smoking could kill more than one billion people this century unless governments and civil society act to reverse the epidemic. It also said that the more young people are exposed to tobacco advertising, the more likely they are to start smoking.

According to a survey by the WHO, 55 percent of the 13-to-15 year-olds worldwide reported seeing advertisements for cigarettes on billboards in the previous month and 20 percent owned an item with a cigarette brand logo on it.