Mumbai: Khushbu Sundar, actress and politician, a special invitee of BJP national executive committee and a member of the national commission for women and author and columnist Kishwar Desai has joined Mothers Against Vaping, a united front of concerned mothers combatting the escalating vaping crisis among the youth.
Mothers Against Vaping has been highlighting and confronting the global tobacco industry's alleged strategies to lure children with new-age gateway devices like e-cigarettes, vapes, electronic nicotine delivery systems, heat-not-burn products, e-hookahs, etc. These devices have been positioned as safer alternatives to traditional tobacco smoking, yet these products pose severe risks to the health of children and the youth.
Khushbu Sundar and Kishwar Desai joined Mothers Against Vaping at an event titled “Saving the Next Generation from New-Age Addictions”, organised by the Group on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2024 in the Indian International Centre, New Delhi.
They join a distinguished group of leading sports icons and influential role models like Baichung Bhutia, Deepa Malik and Neha Dhupia who stand with Mothers Against Vaping in their efforts to eradicate the menace of vaping and e-cigarettes from the lives of children.
Joining Mothers Against Vaping, Khushbu Sundar, speaking about the dangerous impact that vaping and e-cigarettes are having on the lives of children and the youth said, “As a nation, we are making great strides, towards securing a bright future for our children. However, we must confront pressing issues that plague their present reality, such as the alarming prevalence of New Age Gateway Devices like e-cigarettes and vapes. It is deeply troubling to see how manufacturers of such devices are targeting our children with the intention of creating their future customer base with these enticingly sleek and sophisticated products.”
“Apart from the dangerous health risks posed to our children and youth due to the usage of these products, it also jeopardizes their future career prospects and also hinders their potential contributions to our nation's growth and development. To secure the future of our nation we need to also secure the future of our children. It is highly critical that we make all efforts to remove the usage of these illegal and banned devices from our society. I fully support Mothers Against Vaping in their mission to remove the influence of these addictive devices from the lives of our children,” Khushbu added.
Author and columnist Kishwar Desai said, “With sleek electronic devices captivating children's attention nowadays, they are often drawn to try them out—whether to appear cool, satisfy curiosity or as a means to express themselves. But this is a dangerous road. As mothers, citizens and thought leaders, it is our duty to hold up a mirror to them and convey that this road only leads to disaster and a life unfulfilled.”
The government over the years has proactively taken steps to address this issue, however, the unscrupulous elements continue to find new ways, and therefore there is a need to strengthen the enforcement framework; and one step in that direction could be to substantially increase the penal provisions against the perpetrators,” Desai added.
At the event, Mothers from various walks of life united under Mothers Against Vaping and pledged to protect children from the global tobacco industry’s interference which aligned with the WHO theme of “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference” on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2024.
The pledge ceremony was conducted with a large number of mothers in attendance taking part. The chief guest, Padma Shri Khel Ratna & Arjuna Awardee and a prominent member of Mothers Against Vaping - Deepa Malik, led the pledge ceremony. She said, “This pledge is crucial. I am deeply troubled to see how our children are being lured by the tactics of device manufacturers, risking lifelong addictions not just to nicotine but to even more dangerous substances. It is heart breaking to witness children engaging in such activities when there are much more engaging activities like sports which they can participate in and move towards a bright future and Fit India in a healthy manner. We must organize more events like this and raise awareness about this pressing issue affecting our children.”
Talking about the reasons for the rising popularity of these new-age devices among children, clinical psychologist and Happiness Studio founder Dr Bhavna Barmi said, "Children's mental states make them highly susceptible to early experimentation with addictive behaviours. Hence, we are witnessing a troubling surge in children being drawn to enticing electronic addictive devices like vapes and e-cigarettes. A major factor fuelling this trend is the packaging and advertising tactics employed by manufacturers of these modern devices.”
At the event, Mothers Against Vaping released a four-point agenda to counter and neutralise five popular alleged strategies adopted by global tobacco industry to promote gateway devices to young children.
The five popular global tobacco industry alleged strategies to promote new-age gateway devices to children include the Industry’s focus on new-age gateway electronic devices rather than traditional tobacco products as children readily adopt these devices; spreading misinformation that e-cigarette and similar electronic devices like heat-not-burn devices are less harmful than traditional tobacco products; hooking children early on; digital marketing and smuggling of these devices to escape regulations banning vapes and e-cigarettes.
The four-point agenda released by Mothers Against Vaping to counter the Global Tobacco Industry strategies includes Educating stakeholders through robust campaigns; Providing information about health hazards by Healthcare professionals, particularly doctors; Utilising the Same Marketing Tools and Digital Spaces that the MNC Tobacco companies are using and urging policymakers to address smuggling.
Digital marketing serves as a powerful tool for targeting children, portraying these devices as cool and desirable. Through platforms like social media, online ads and influencer partnerships, the tobacco industry allegedly glamorizes these products, effectively popularizing them among children and youth. Interestingly Mothers Against Vaping contends that the same digital platforms should be used to launch effective campaigns across various digital channels, including influencers whom children admire and relate to.
These campaigns can promote messages centered around valuing one's body and embracing individuality. In the campaigns, children can be encouraged to reject gateway devices and adopt positive behaviours, such as expressing their uniqueness which can lead to the enhancement of their self-worth and self-esteem as well as enable them to be well-informed and make confident choices. Mothers and teachers should also be effectively engaged in these digital spaces. There is also a need to urge policymakers to bring in stringent laws against various marketing and digital tools that are being deployed.
