Researchers have red-flagged the tobacco industry's bid to integrate new electronic cigarette products also known as vapes with interactive features such as touch screens, animated displays, and built-in games to make them appealing to youngsters particularly those tech-savvy.
Published in the journal 'Tobacco Control', the study authored by scientists from the University of California, Riverside, warned that these features could potentially exacerbate nicotine addiction among youth by integrating vaping with gaming behaviors.
The study titled "Pac-Man on a vape: electronic cigarettes that target youth as handheld multimedia and gaming devices", identified several new electronic cigarette models, such as the Craftbox V-Play, which incorporate classic arcade games like Pac-Man and Tetris. These devices also feature animations that change with each puff, built-in Bluetooth for customization, and celebrity endorsements with promotional trading cards.
The study holds importance in the context of India too where despite being banned by the Government, vaping products are being found to be sneaked in the schools and colleges where students have been using them without any fear of the law.
In fact, in India, the menace has been all around which has prompted ‘Mothers Against Vaping’, a united front of concerned mothers combating the promotion of New-Age Tobacco Devices such as e-cigarettes, vapes, electronic nicotine delivery systems, heat-not-burn products, e-hookahs, and similar devices among Indian children and youth to join hands with celebrities like Nandita Das, Baichung Bhutia, Deepa Malik, Dutee Chand, Neha Dhupia to take up the cause.
In November 2023, a large consignment of e-cigarettes worth Rs 50 lakh coming from China was nabbed on the Khutar-Puranpur highway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, a seizure at Chennai airport in November last year involved the confiscation of 11,700 e-cigarettes worth Rs 3.5 crore coming from China.
In the present study, researchers, including Man Wong and Professor Prue Talbot, expressed concern that these advanced features make electronic cigarettes more appealing to youth who may not have been interested in nicotine products previously. They emphasised that coupling nicotine with activities like gaming and screen time could potentially widen the market for smart vapes among young users.
Drawing the attention of the health regulatory bodies, Talbot and Wong called for stringent regulation of these devices by government agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The researchers also proposed measures to restrict features that enhance attractiveness to youth, and even suggest considering a ban on disposable vapes due to their evolving features and potential for increased waste generation.
The study also noted that these new smart vapes are affordable, priced around $15-20, and offer enhanced functionalities compared to earlier models. However, the disposable nature of these vapes contributes significantly to environmental waste, exacerbated by the inclusion of screens, Bluetooth, and digital storage.
Talbot underscored the importance of increasing awareness about the rapid evolution of vape designs and enhancing surveillance to promptly remove products targeting youth from the market.
