Teenage Smoking

Solve the problem of teenage smoking and you solve the smoking problem in general.

90% of Americans who smoke started before they graduated from high school. Couple this with the fact that it’s easier for a teenager to get hooked on cigarettes than an adult (due to their developing brains), and you can see why preventing teenage smoking is so important.

Tobacco companies understand these statistics only too well. Their own market research shows that 60% of smokers started when they were younger than 13! The tobacco companies took these statistics and used them to design advertising campaigns that targeted teens and pre-teens. Think Joe Camel.

Bottom line: if you are a teen don’t start smoking; if you’re a parent, you have to do what it takes to keep your children from starting smoking.

Why Teens Smoke

I’m a parent, not a teen. So, I look at things from an adult point of view. So, let me tell you a little story.

I live in a nice, close-to-downtown neighborhood in a major American city. In the evenings, just after dark, I like to give our dog the last walk of the day. I generally love that time. I get some time alone, get to look at the beautiful city lights through the trees (especially in winter), and also get some much needed exercise.

My dog and I generally walk about a half mile to a trendy little retail area, then come back along a residential street. About half-way back, I cross over into a city park, walk across the park and get back to my street.

That’s where I see it!

Remember, this is at night, in the dark.

In that park is a little play area that I used to take my kids to when they were smaller. You know, they have the bars you swing across, the slide, all the kid stuff. During the day, especially on the weekends, the park is full of parents and kids, all running around, making noise and having fun. During the day, it’s very wholesome.

Not during the night!

When I walk through the park at night to get back to my street, the play area is usually full of about six to eight teens and pre-teens talking and cutting up. At first when you look at them, they look like they’re just playing on the same play equipment their parents used to let them play on when they were smaller. It all looks so innocent.

That is until I smell the smoke!

What they’re doing there, both boys and girls, is smoking. (And God knows what else!)

I remember the first time I saw them there, and I smelled that acrid smell of cigarettes burning.

The whole scene took on a furtive, anti-social quality.

Before I became an internet marketer, I taught high school, and I learned a ton of stuff about teens. Most of it bad.

I knew those kids there in the dark smoking. Well, I didn’t really know them. I didn’t know their names. But I knew who they were, and why they were there.

Teens start smoking primarily because someone in their family smokes, or they hang around peers who smoke. Teens are very susceptible to what psychologists call “social proof”--taking our cues from others around us who are most like us. So, who do teens mimic (even if subconsciously)? Other teens.

Teens smoke because they see other teens smoke. Some start smoking because they crave attention. Nowadays, smoking is no longer viewed as a desirable, socially acceptable trait, as it was when both my parents became smokers. Smoking is fringe. Sure, we put up with adults who are smokers, and try not to judge them too harshly. But that’s only because we know they are addicts--or maybe some of us do judge them…But still…as a society we understand that smoking is not the way to go.

So, why do teens start smoking? Well, precisely because they want to be anti-social, fringe, walk on the wild side, that sort of thing.

Generally, the kids who start smoking have other issues. For instance, research shows that kids who start smoking have lower self-esteem. This makes total sense. If you have lower self-esteem, you’re more susceptible to peer pressure.

Some teens start to smoke because they are depressed, or have feelings they can’t deal with. Nicotine helps them cope.

What Can We Do?

If you have a child, you really need to start educating him or her about the dangers of teenage smoking early on. Just talking to kids about how dangerous something is, however, is not enough. Teens think of themselves as indestructible. They also see themselves as different (if not better than) adults. To them, heart disease and cancer are adult problems, not something for a teen to be concerned about.

Teens smoke partially as a substitute for close bonds to responsible adults. So, what you need to do is to make sure you’re communicating with your child about teenage smoking. This will address a lot of issues your child is facing--sexual pressure, pressure to smoke, take drugs, etc.

Talk to your child about teenage smoking, but don’t lecture.

Have a conversation. Give and take. Let them ask questions! Answer those questions truthfully.

If your teen knows that s/he has someone to really talk to, then they won’t be trying to get their emotional support from other teens, which, oftentimes, results in behavior that’s harmful to them.

Bottom line! Make sure you and your child talk! Openly and honestly about all issues, not just teenage smoking. This will solve most of your problems.

If you’re a teen reading this, then let me give you this advice about teenage smoking. Go to your parents (or whoever your guardian is) and talk with them about smoking, what it is, pressures, etc. At first they might not want to talk. Don’t press the issue, just persist. You might be surprised that your best friend and confidant actually lives under the same roof as you do!

Most importantly, don't start smoking! It might take you slightly less than a lifetime to quit.

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