Selena Gomez says vaping nicotine changed her voice; what India's law says

American singer and actor Selena Gomez said in a video posted on her Instagram Stories on October 18, 2026 that she had vaped nicotine heavily and that it had changed her voice, according to entertainment outlets that reported the post. She said she has stopped vaping, described quitting as hard, and urged fans that it was not worth it. Gomez, who has a very large young following around the world, including in India, had earlier attributed changes in her voice to throat swelling, without naming nicotine.

E-cigarettes, or vapes, heat a liquid that usually contains nicotine into an aerosol that users inhale. They are often marketed with fruit and candy flavours and sleek designs, which makes them attractive to teenagers and young adults, and many users believe they are harmless compared with cigarettes. Nicotine, however, is highly addictive, and a habit that starts as something casual can be hard to break, as Gomez herself described.

Gomez's account is a personal one, and only her doctors can say exactly what caused the change in her voice. But it lands with a large young audience, and it puts a familiar face on a message health bodies have pushed for years: vaping is not a risk-free lifestyle choice. For singers, speakers and anyone who relies on their voice, the experience she describes is a reminder that what is inhaled affects the throat.

In India, the situation is also legal. Vapes are banned, yet a 2022 study found that young people could still get hold of them. Many students may not know that selling, storing or advertising them is an offence, or that the products they buy are unregulated, so nobody checks what is in the liquid. Buying from such sources carries both health and legal risks.

For anyone trying to quit nicotine, help is available. India's National Tobacco Quitline Services, on the toll-free number 1800-11-2356, offer free telephone counselling, and doctors at government hospitals can advise on cessation. Friends and family can help by not offering vapes and by supporting someone who is trying to stop.

Short-term: A widely followed celebrity speaking about her own vaping habit is likely to prompt conversations among young fans, and may push some users to rethink or seek help to quit.

Long-term: Stories like this add to pressure on regulators worldwide to restrict flavoured vapes and youth marketing, and support enforcement of India's ban, which depends on states acting against illegal sellers.

Who is affected: Teenagers and young adults who vape or are tempted to, parents and teachers, people trying to quit nicotine, and shopkeepers and online sellers who risk prosecution in India.

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