CHENNAI: Health experts, bureaucrats and social scientists have voiced grave concerns over the strategic marketing of vaping devices to school and college students through digital influencers, surrogate advertising, and misleading safety claims.
Speaking at a seminar titled "Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products", held in New Delhi on Thursday ahead of the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day 2025, experts highlighted the illegal promotion and increasing use of vapes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products (HTPs) among adolescents in India. This surge persists despite a nationwide ban under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019.
Targeting Youth Through Gateway Devices
The industry is reportedly exploiting social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to glamorise vaping as a trendy and safe lifestyle choice. According to individuals familiar with these tactics, covert promotional strategies—including the use of coded language like “aroma sticks” and “flavor drops”—along with influencer partnerships, are being used to bypass legal restrictions.
As a result, online marketplaces and informal distribution networks continue to facilitate the sale of these products in defiance of the law, experts noted.
Dr. Avinash Sunthlia, Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Health, outlined ongoing efforts to combat this trend. These include school awareness programs, influencer engagement, and the launch of an online reporting platform. He emphasized the growing number of cases involving the deliberate recruitment of new consumers through glamorized promotions.
Special Commissioner of Police Jaspal Singh warned that vapes pose an even greater threat than cigarettes, citing their potential use for consuming hard drugs. He called for coordinated action among law enforcement, customs officials, transporters, and courier services to curb the illegal distribution of vaping products.
Padma Jaiswal, a senior bureaucrat in the Government of Puducherry, applauded the civil initiative led by Mothers Against Vaping (MAV), the NGO that organized the seminar. She emphasized the need for greater public awareness, especially among parents and youth, about the legal status and health risks of vaping.
MAV’s Recommendations to Curb Unfair Practices
At the event, MAV released a report titled “Unmasking the Appeal”, which exposes the covert online marketing strategies employed by global vaping brands. The report details how digital influencers and viral content are used to normalize and popularize vaping, with transactions continuing via platforms such as Shopify and Razorpay despite regulatory bans.
The report outlined several key recommendations to curb the spread of vaping and illegal promotions, including:
Strengthened coordination among cybercrime units, police, customs, and other authorities.
Legal action under PECA 2019.
Takedown orders for digital content that violates vaping laws.
Accountability measures for platforms that host or amplify vape-related content.
Enforcement against manufacturers, importers, and sellers of banned products.
Mandatory disclaimers on promotional content.
Financial penalties for non-compliant digital platforms.
Further recommendations included invoking Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act to penalize youth-targeted surrogate advertising, blacklisting payment gateways that support transactions for banned products, criminalising influencer collaborations that promote vape-related content, and conducting third-party audits of platform algorithms that amplify such material.
The report also advocated for the launch of a National “Vape Literacy” Mission—modeled after campaigns like Swachh Bharat and Pulse Polio—and incentives for whistleblowers who report illegal vape sales and marketing.