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A growing outcry is sweeping across Indian households as concerned mothers demand swift and strict governmental intervention to stop the rampant digital marketing of vaping and tobacco-related products. Despite a comprehensive ban under Indian law, e-cigarettes, vapes, and heat-not-burn devices continue to be marketed across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Telegramâparticularly targeting vulnerable youth.
Children and Teens in the Crosshairs of Online Tobacco Promotion
The advocacy group Mothers Against Vaping has launched a coordinated campaign to bring this pressing issue to national attention. Theyâve issued formal appeals to key government ministriesâincluding Health and Family Welfare, Home Affairs, and MeitYâurging them to take immediate action against the digital glamorization of tobacco and nicotine products. Their message is loud and clear: online platforms are becoming breeding grounds for addictive behavior among Indian youth, bypassing national laws with impunity.
Under existing legislation such as the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019 and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, the advertising and sale of e-cigarettes and similar devices are banned. However, the enforcement of these laws remains weak in the digital realm.
These mothers claim that vape brands and sellers are using memes, influencer promotions, short videos, and algorithm-driven content to discreetly bypass legal barriers. Their tactics are especially potent on platforms frequented by teenagers, who are often lured by the aesthetic appeal and social cachet associated with vaping.
The groupâs demands include:
Immediate removal of illegal and misleading content.
Action against content creators and brands violating PECA and COTPA.
Enforcement of the IT Rules, 2021, which prohibit content that violates Indian law.
Creation of an inter-ministerial task force to monitor digital promotion of banned tobacco products.
Compelling digital platforms to comply with Indian regulations by flagging and removing such content.
Dr. Bhawna Barmi, a psychologist and member of the group, emphasized that these products are being marketed to teens in slick, relatable formats that romanticize vaping and make it appear fashionable. She warned that such exposure at a young age, compounded by peer pressure and the addictive nature of nicotine, could have long-term health consequences.
Education specialist Shruti Nagar Dave further warned that while online platforms have tremendous educational potential, they are being misused to propagate dangerous content. She called on digital platforms to assume ethical responsibility and cooperate with stakeholders to purge this illegal promotion from their networks.
Despite the clarity of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, intermediaries like YouTube and Instagram are still failing to exercise due diligence. Rule 3(1)(b) clearly mandates that platforms not host content in violation of Indian lawâyet violations persist.
What Undercode Say:
The issue raised by Mothers Against Vaping taps into a much deeper and systemic digital regulatory loophole in India. While the legislative backbone against tobacco and nicotine product promotion is robust, the enforcement across digital platforms remains porous and inconsistent.
India, with over 800 million internet usersâmany of them under the age of 25âis uniquely vulnerable. The virality factor of social media compounds this risk. Unlike traditional advertising, digital content can be shared, remixed, and reshared infinitely, creating an ecosystem of soft promotion that is difficult to trace and even harder to regulate.
This raises critical questions:
Are digital platforms truly accountable under Indian law? The IT Rules clearly suggest so, but enforcement mechanisms remain weak and often reactive.
Is self-regulation by platforms like Meta and Google sufficient? Evidence shows itâs not. The commercial incentives to allow such content far outweigh the pressure to self-regulate.
Should India move towards AI-based monitoring for detecting tobacco promotion? With the sheer volume of content uploaded daily, manual monitoring is infeasible. AI-driven content scanning could become a necessity.
Data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey shows an uptick in vape usage among Indian teens post-2019âafter PECA came into effect. This suggests a growing underground economy that thrives not in the streets, but in hashtags, reels, and Telegram groups.
The fact that e-cigarettes are banned yet trending among urban youth underscores the mismatch between policy intent and on-ground reality. These products are often smuggled, unbranded, or sold under misleading labels, making detection even harder. Enforcement agencies are under-resourced, and jurisdictional ambiguities between ministries only delay meaningful action.
The Mothers Against Vaping group is not just asking for stricter lawsâthey’re demanding digital accountability. And theyâre right to do so.
Any long-term strategy must include:
Real-time AI moderation of promotional content.
Heavier penalties for platforms and repeat-offending content creators.
Inclusion of tobacco control in school and college-level digital literacy programs.
Public shaming of brands and influencers who subtly endorse these products.
Indiaâs youth is at a digital crossroads. If the government fails to act now, the health costs will cascade over generations. Social media canât be a lawless frontier where banned products are sold behind likes and filters.
Fact Checker Results:
- Claim: Digital promotion of vaping products continues despite bans â â True
- Claim: Platforms like Instagram and YouTube host such content â â Verified
- Claim: IT Rules legally prohibit such promotion â â Confirmed by Rule 3(1)(b) of IT Rules, 2021
Prediction:
If unchecked, digital promotions for vaping and tobacco products will become the leading gateway to addiction among Indian teenagers within the next five years. Without coordinated action between ministries, platforms, and watchdogs, India could witness a new wave of nicotine dependency disguised as digital culture. Expect a rise in black-market sales of such products, deeper integration with influencer marketing, and a growing public health challenge that outpaces the enforcement capacity of the current legal framework.
References:
Reported By: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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