Rising violations related to public use of vapes need to be raised in Parliament: Swati Maliwal

Raising concerns over the growing normalisation of vaping among children and adolescents, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Thursday said rising violations related to vaping including instances involving influencers and public figures need to be taken up far more strictly at the policy and enforcement level.

“Rising violations related to public use of vapes need to be raised in Parliament,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Advertisement

She warned that vaping is increasingly emerging as a “new-age gateway addiction”, with sleek designs, flavours, and social media visibility making these products appear aspirational and harmless to young people.

The remarks were made at a national seminar organised by Mothers Against Vaping (MAV) on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2026.

The seminar, titled “Unmasking the Appeal: Protecting Children from New-Age Gateway Products”, brought together leading voices from healthcare, science, education, law enforcement, and public policy to discuss the growing threat posed by vaping devices, nicotine pouches, synthetic nicotine products, and similar emerging nicotine delivery systems targeting children and youth.

Addressing the gathering as Chief Guest, Ms. Maliwal said, “The biggest danger lies in the invisibility and normalisation of these products among adolescents. What makes these new-age nicotine devices especially dangerous is that they do not look dangerous at all. They are designed to appear fashionable, harmless, and socially acceptable to children and teenagers. But behind the flavours, sleek designs, and social media trends lies a serious public health threat.”

“Today, we are increasingly seeing vaping violations in public spaces and among influential figures. Whether it is influencers promoting vape culture online, public personalities being seen vaping, or even instances of vaping inside important institutions, these incidents send a dangerous message to young people and contribute to the normalisation of addiction. India has already taken a strong legislative step through the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019, but enforcement and public awareness now need to become much stronger,” she said.