NEW DELHI: Growing glamorization of tobacco through surrogate advertising and its everyday normalisation by selling it alongside toffees and candies poses a serious threat to the health of children and adolescents, experts said.
They cautioned that if this trend is not checked urgently, it could lead to a new epidemic of cancers and lung diseases in the coming years.
Dr. Shalini Singh, Director, ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, highlighted that children are exposed to tobacco through everyday influences, starting at retail points and extending to surrogate promotion.
“When tobacco products are displayed openly at points of sale and placed alongside items meant for children, it sends a misleading signal that these products are harmless,” she said, adding that branding cues and indirect promotions further reinforce this exposure.
Dr Singh was speaking at a webinar "The Silent Push: Tobacco and Young India” on the occasion of National Youth Day organised by Tobacco Free India, a citizen initiative.
She underlined the need to strictly limit point-of-sale visibility, cautioning that retail displays should not become a de facto advertising tool.
Dr Naveen Thacker, Executive Director of the International Paediatric Association, warned that the problem begins far earlier than commonly assumed, and quoted a survey he had conducted which showed that one in six children around the age of 10 had already experimented with tobacco.
Dr. MC Misra, former Director of AIIMS, New Delhi, cautioned that the consequences of inaction could be severe and long-lasting. “If we do not intervene today and reduce children’s exposure to tobacco, we are clearly heading towards the next epidemic of cancers and lung diseases."
Prof. JS Rajput, Padma Shri awardee and former Director of NCERT, said celebrity-linked surrogate promotions add another troubling layer to the problem and call for collective responsibility.
“Education does not happen only in classrooms. Children learn from what they see in society,” he said. “When film stars or sports personalities are indirectly associated with tobacco brands, it sends a powerful and misleading message. Society and the government must take responsibility.”
He stressed the importance of curbing surrogate branding and celebrity-linked promotions, observing that aspirational cues play a disproportionate role in shaping youth behaviour.
To delay initiation and reduce lifetime dependence, experts also highlighted the potential public health benefit of raising the legal age for purchase of tobacco products, similar to alcohol.
Experts quoted global evidence, which has shown that even modest delays in initiation significantly reduce long-term addiction and disease burden.
They further stressed that tobacco should not be sold alongside food products meant for children, and that restricting sales to exclusive tobacco outlets could significantly reduce routine exposure.
The continued practice of single-stick sales, which lowers cost barriers and facilitates experimentation, was flagged as another area requiring urgent attention.
In addition, experts called for consistent enforcement of the ban on sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions, along with effective implementation of Tobacco-Free Educational Institution guidelines.
They noted that while direct tobacco advertising is prohibited under Indian law, promotion today works largely through everyday visibility and proximity. Tobacco products continue to be displayed at neighbourhood shops and kiosks frequented by children, often alongside items meant for young consumers.
Underlining that adolescence is a critical phase marked by curiosity, experimentation, and vulnerability, they said, exposure during this period often leads to early initiation, long-term dependence.
The need of the hour is tighter controls on surrogate promotions, strict limits on point-of-sale visibility, and ensuring tobacco is not sold alongside products meant for children, experts added.