According to the American Cancer Society, the number of young people who smoke has decreased significantly since the 1990s. That is certainly good news. The bad news is that millions still smoke - 400 young people smoke for the first time each day, and 200 of them will become addicted to smoking. Most adult smokers started smoking while in their teens, or even earlier.
Where Do Kids Get Cigarettes?
No surprises here; most kids get cigarettes from friends and family members. Half of surveyed teen smokers said they had little trouble purchasing cigarettes from retail locations and machines. There doesn't seem to be a problem in attaining cigarettes, although the high cost may be a factor in how many cigarettes teens can afford.
Smoking by the Numbers
- Among eighth graders, those who smoked daily dropped from more than eight percent in 1997 to less than five percent in 2002.
- For tenth graders, the number of daily smokers declined from more than 18 percent in 1997 to less than ten percent in 2002.
- The number of twelfth graders reporting daily smoking went from more than 23 percent in 1997 to just over 14 percent in 2002.
That is obviously good news for parents, schools, and the young people who will not become addicted or suffer from smoking related diseases.
- Only three percent of teen smokers believe they will still be smoking when they become adults. The fact is, at least 60 percent of them will still be addicted.
- Teen smoking is related to higher drug use, higher alcohol consumption, and higher rates of attempted suicide.
What Can Parents Do?
- Talk to your kids. Tell them you don't want them to smoke. Start now. Even if they are only five or six you can begin to provide information.
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Don't smoke. And if you do, tell them how much you wish you could stop. Then ask them to help you stop.
- Explain the very real health problems such as emphysema, heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer, asthma, and poor circulation.
- Help your children understand the false claims of advertising and the phony 'glamour' of smoking shown on TV, in movies, on the Internet, and in popular music.
- Show them how much it costs to smoke - for example compute the cost of a pack a day for 365 days a year at the current price (and the price will continue to increase).
Don't Give Up
Smoking is expensive and deadly. The younger someone starts, the greater the risk to his or her health. Do whatever you can to keep your children from starting, quitting if they already smoke, and finding other, healthier things to do with their time and energy.
This is a life and death situation.
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