Mothers Against Vaping: Raising awareness about ill effects of vaping
On July 8, concerned medical experts highlighted the dangers of vaping and the emergence of new-age gateway devices harming children and youth. The doctors were supporting the movement of ‘Mothers Against Vaping’, a collective dedicated to raising awareness about the ill effects of vaping and working to eradicate this growing malaise from society.
Dr K K Handa, Chairman, ENT, Head and Neck Surgery of ‘Medanta’, said on the issue, “The common myth that vaping is safer than smoking is totally incorrect. Vaping has health implications, including issues like coughing, dry throat, shortness of breath or headaches. More alarmingly, it can affect the heart, raising blood pressure, increasing heart rate and even leading to a heart attack.”
“Vaping can damage lungs after prolonged use since vapes contain nicotine, which has a serious addictive potential. Over time, vape addiction can cause serious mental issues like depression and anxiety. There is also a physical safety concern, as the devices used for vaping can sometimes catch fire. So, vaping is not safe at all,” he added.
According to ‘Mothers Against Vaping’, multiple reputable studies have clearly indicated the health risks of vaping and e-cigarettes. A recent study in April 2025 by Johns Hopkins Medicine analysed medical data gathered from almost 250,000 people over a four-year period. The findings significantly linked the exclusive use of e-cigarettes to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and high blood pressure.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for urgent action to protect children and prevent the uptake of e-cigarettes. These products are openly available and are aggressively marketed to young people. Children are being targeted and trapped in early nicotine addiction by e-cigarettes.
In this regard, Dr Harish Bhatia, Director & Head of Respiratory Medicine, MGS Super Speciality Hospital, Punjabi Bagh, interestingly posed a question and explained further, “Are your lungs ready for the match of life posed by vapes, e-cigarettes, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), Heat-Not-Burn (HNB) devices and other Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs)? All these directly damage the lungs. The symptoms of these impacts are poor stamina, weakened immunity, repeated lung infections and future breathing issues. The lungs of teens need protection, not pollution from vapes. And any teen who is vaping needs immediate course correction. Only with good lungs will there be the beginning of ‘Viksit Bharat’.”
‘Mothers Against Vaping’ has been consistently highlighting how teens, youth and even children are falling prey to vapes, posing a real danger of losing the next generation to these new-age gateway devices. Only a healthy next generation can become the foundation of a ‘Viksit Bharat’. Hence, it is important to understand how adolescents fall prey to vaping to effectively stop this growing trend.
Dr Rajesh Gupta, Director of Pulmonology at Fortis Hospital, said, “Adolescents often start vaping socially at parties or under peer pressure, believing it is harmless or even better than smoking. But this is a myth and even occasional vaping exposes the lungs to harmful chemicals, which irritate and inflame their delicate tissues, often leading to serious problems. In children whose lungs are still developing, this damage can be very long-lasting. And this damage doesn’t stop at the lungs. Nicotine in the e-cigarettes is highly addictive and affects the brain, altering attention, memory, learning and emotional regulation.”
“What begins as just trying it or social vaping can quickly spiral into regular addictive use, resulting in lifelong health consequences. As adults, parents and educators, we must speak openly with children about the risks and act early. We should not assume that it’s just a phase because every casual use is a potential gateway to long-term harm. So, say no to vaping, not just daily, not even occasionally, because when it comes to the lungs and brain of our children, there is no such thing as a safe level,” he added.
On the various ways and means of tackling vaping, Dr Bhavna Barmi, Clinical Psychologist and Founder of ‘Happiness Studio’, said, “First of all, it is important to build emotional literacy because vaping is not just peer pressure - it’s also an emotional escape. When we teach our kids to name their feelings through journaling, mood charts and open reflections, they will not need to numb them. There is also a need for guidance and awareness among parents, as most of them miss warning signs or respond with shame. We should provide workshops and conversation guides that encourage calm, curious dialogue. Punishment shuts kids down. Understanding opens them up.”
“We also need to unpack the role of social media. Vaping looks glamorous online, but we should teach who profits and what the hidden agenda is. Teaching media literacy helps kids build critical thinking - their best defence. Replace, don’t just remove, should be our key. Let’s give our children healthy alternatives - connection, creativity and a sense of identity beyond grades or popularity. When our children feel valued, they will stop escaping. Also, addiction recovery is not about control; it's about care, building safe, slow and non-judgmental therapy spaces,” she added.
‘Mothers Against Vaping’ is a united front of concerned mothers combating the escalating vaping crisis among our youth. The group has also been urgently appealing to the government to take decisive action against the growing and unchecked digital promotion of vapes and e-cigarettes. Despite existing bans on such promotions, the manufacturers of these new-age gateway devices allegedly continue to aggressively target young audiences and exploit their digital habits to hook a new generation into addiction.
