World No Tobacco Day: Mothers pledge to protect children from promotion of new-age gateway devices

New Delhi, May 30: In line with the WHO (World Health Organisation) World No Tobacco Day 2024 theme of “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference”, Mothers Against Vaping, a united front of concerned mothers combatting the escalating vaping crisis among our youth, on Thursday organised an event in the Indian International Centre, New Delhi In the event titled “Saving the Next Generation from New-Age Addictions”.

Mothers from various walks of life united under Mothers Against Vaping and pledged to protect children from the global tobacco industry’s interference.

Kushboo Sundar, Actress and Politician, a special invitee of the BJP National Executive Committee and a member of the National Commission for Women and Kishwar Desai, Author and Columnist, joined Mothers Against Vaping and bolstered the cause. 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 from the lives of children.

The strong support from these diverse personalities highlights the gravity of the issue tackled by Mothers Against Vaping, affirming its recognition as a critical concern.

At the event, Mothers Against Vaping released a 4-point agenda to counter and neutralise 5 popular alleged strategies adopted by the global tobacco industry to promote gateway devices to young children.

Talking about the reasons for the rising popularity of these new-age devices among children, Dr Bhavna Barmi, Clinical Psychologist, Founder, Happiness Studio 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.”

During the event, a Pledge Ceremony was conducted, with a large number of mothers in attendance taking part. The Chief Guest, Deepa Malik, a prominent member of Mothers Against Vaping, 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 heartbreaking 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 organise more events like this and raise awareness about this pressing issue affecting our children.”

Joining Mothers Against Vaping, Kushboo 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.”

Kishwar Desai, Author and Columnist who joined the event 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.”