By:-Vineet Aggarwal, Group COO, Paras Health
“Not every victim of tobacco is the one lighting the cigarette. Across homes, public spaces, and social settings, millions of children and young adults in India are exposed to secondhand smoke every day, making passive smoking a serious yet under-recognised public health concern. Regular exposure can lead to asthma flare-ups, chronic cough, breathing difficulties, recurrent infections, poor lung development, weakened immunity, and long-term risks such as heart disease, lung cancer, and future nicotine dependence.
At the same time, flavoured vapes and digitally marketed nicotine products are increasingly normalising tobacco use among youth under the false perception of being safer alternatives. The World Health Organization (WHO), through this year’s World No Tobacco Day campaign, has rightly highlighted the urgent need to counter the growing appeal of nicotine products among younger generations.
Protecting our youth requires collective action through smoke-free homes and public spaces, stronger awareness in schools and communities, and stricter regulation of tobacco and vaping promotion. Our children may not be holding the cigarette, but they are still paying the price for it.”