New Delhi: Health and education experts have warned that the growing glamorisation of tobacco through surrogate advertising and its normalisation, by selling it alongside toffees and candies, pose a serious threat to the health of children and adolescents.

They cautioned that if this trend is not checked urgently, it could lead to a new epidemic of cancer and lung diseases in the coming years.

The warning came during a National Youth Day webinar titled ‘The Silent Push: Tobacco and Young India’, organised by Tobacco Free India, a citizen initiative, on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand.

Speakers noted that while India has taken several commendable steps in recent years to strengthen tobacco control, children and young people between 10 and 20 years of age are increasingly being targeted through subtle and indirect practices.

They stressed that addressing this challenge would require tighter controls on surrogate promotions, strict limits on point-of-sale visibility, and ensuring that tobacco is not sold alongside products meant for children.

They also underlined the need to delay initiation by raising the legal age for purchase, ending single-stick sales, and strengthening enforcement around educational institutions to better protect children’s everyday environment.

Dr Shalini Singh, director of the ICMR-“National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, highlighted how children are exposed to tobacco through everyday influences, starting at retail points and extending to surrogate promotion.

“When tobacco products are displayed openly at points of sale and placed alongside items meant for children, it sends a misleading signal that these products are harmless,” she said, adding that branding cues and indirect promotions further reinforce this exposure.

Other experts noted that these layered exposures together make tobacco products appear harmless, easily accessible, and socially acceptable to young minds.

From a child health perspective, Dr Naveen Thacker, executive director of the International Pediatric Association, warned that the problem begins far earlier than commonly assumed. Referring to a cross-sectional study conducted under his leadership in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, he said nearly one in six children around the age of 10 had already experimented with tobacco.

Echoing these concerns, Dr M C Misra, public health expert and former director of AIIMS, Delhi, cautioned that the consequences of inaction could be severe and long-lasting.

“If we do not intervene today and reduce children’s exposure to tobacco, we are clearly heading towards the next epidemic of cancers and lung diseases,” he said.

Professor JS Rajput, former director of NCERT, said celebrity-linked surrogate promotions add another troubling layer to the problem and called for collective responsibility.

“Education does not happen only in classrooms. Children learn from what they see in society,” he said. “When film stars or sports personalities are indirectly associated with tobacco brands, it sends a powerful and misleading message. Society and government must take responsibility.”

Drawing on child health evidence, Dr Thacker said the growing signs of early exposure call for a much sharper focus on protecting children’s everyday environment from tobacco influence.

Several speakers, including Prof Rajput, stressed the importance of curbing surrogate branding and celebrity-linked promotions, observing that aspirational cues play a disproportionate role in shaping youth behaviour. When admired public figures are indirectly associated with tobacco brands, it undermines both health messaging and value-based education, they said.

To delay initiation and reduce lifetime dependence, experts also highlighted the potential public health benefit of raising the legal age for purchase of tobacco products, similar to alcohol. Global evidence shows that even modest delays in initiation significantly reduce long-term addiction and disease burden.

The continued practice of single-stick sales, which lowers cost barriers and facilitates experimentation, was flagged as another area requiring urgent attention.

In addition, speakers called for consistent enforcement of the ban on the sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions.

Several speakers said that reducing tobacco consumption would be a meaningful tribute to Swami Vivekananda on National Youth Day.

“Swami Vivekanand’s vision was clear – ”that a nation moves forward on the strength of a healthy and empowered youth. Honouring that vision today means ensuring our youth grow up free from harmful addictions. If we do this right and curb tobacco use, India can also emerge as a global leader in this area,” Dr Thacker said.

Experts noted that while direct tobacco advertising is prohibited under Indian law, promotion today works largely through everyday visibility and proximity. Tobacco products continue to be displayed at neighbourhood shops and kiosks frequented by children, often alongside items meant for young consumers.NATIONALNEWDELHI