Mothers pledge to protect children from promoting new age devices

In line with the WHO (World Health Organization) World No Tobacco Day 2024 (May 30) theme titled ‘Protecting Children from the Disruption of the Tobacco Industry’, Mothers Against Vaping, a united front of concerned mothers fighting the growing vaping crisis among our youth, yesterday organized an event in Indian International Center in New Delhi under the slogan “Saving the next generation from New Age addictions”.

Mothers from all walks of life have united under the Mothers Against Vaping initiative and pledged to protect children from the interference of the global tobacco industry.

Kushboo Sundar, actress and politician, specially invited by the BJP National Executive Committee and member of the National Commission for Women, and Kishwar Desai, author and columnist, joined Mothers Against Vaping and supported the cause. They join a distinguished group of leading sports icons and influential role models such as Baichung Bhutia, Deepa Malik and Neha Dhupia who support Mothers Against Vaping in their efforts to eliminate the menace of vaping from the lives of children.

The strong support from these diverse personalities highlights the seriousness of the issue raised by Mothers Against Vaping, confirming its recognition as a key issue.

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

Discussing the reasons behind the growing popularity of these modern devices among children, Dr. Bhavna Barmi, clinical psychologist and founder of Happiness Studio, said: “Children’s mental states make them very susceptible to early experimentation with addictive behaviors. That’s why we’re witnessing a disturbing increase in the number of children attracted to tempting, addictive electronic devices such as vaporizers and e-cigarettes. The main factor driving this trend is the packaging and advertising tactics used by the manufacturers of these modern devices.

During the event, an Oath Ceremony was held, in which many mothers took part. The oath ceremony was led by the chief guest, Deepa Malik, a prominent member of Mothers Against Vaping. She said: “This commitment is crucial. I am deeply concerned that our children are being lured into the tactics of device manufacturers, risking a lifelong addiction not only to nicotine, but also to even more dangerous substances.

It is heartbreaking to see children engaging in such activities when there are much more engaging activities like sports that they can participate in and move towards a bright future and Fit India in a healthy way. We need to organize more events like this and raise awareness about this pressing issue that affects our children.”

Joining Mothers Against Vaping, Kushboo Sundar, speaking about the dangerous impact of vaping and e-cigarettes on the lives of children and young people, said: “As a nation, we are making great strides towards ensuring a bright future for our children. However, we must confront the pressing issues that plague their current reality, such as the alarming proliferation of New Age Gateway devices such as e-cigarettes and vaporizers. It is very disturbing to see manufacturers of such devices targeting our children in an attempt to create a future customer base for them with these temptingly elegant and sophisticated products.” Kishwar Desai, author and columnist, who joined the event, said, “With sleek electronic devices grabbing the attention of children these days, they are often keen to try them out – whether to look cool, satisfy their curiosity or to express their myself. But this is a dangerous path. As mothers, citizens and thought leaders, we have an obligation to hold a mirror up to them and convey that this path only leads to disaster and an unfulfilled life.