Teaching teens about smoking should include the presentation of facts about the long-term health effects, but there are other aspects that should be considered as well. For example, according to the Media Awareness Network, teaching teens that they are "bad" if they smoke can backfire. Although the health risks associated with smoking are generally well known, teaching teens about smoking is important in helping them understand why some teenagers start smoking and others do not.
Step 1
Explain to the teen the factors that contribute to why teenagers start smoking. These factors include peer pressure, the desire to appear grown up and a lack of parental involvement. Be sure to engage the teenagers in conversation and answer questions they raise.
Step 2
Discuss how smoking is portrayed in the media and the advertising that cigarette manufacturers employ. Ask the teens if they've seen movies in which smoking is portrayed in a positive light and if this has influenced their attitude about smoking.
Step 3
Teach teens to say "no" when confronted by peer pressure to try smoking. The pressure that peers apply can be powerful, so the "no" response needs to be portrayed as a positive attribute, the sign of a leader. Reinforce this lesson by praising teens who have been able to resist peer pressure, which can in turn help boost self-confidence.
Step 4
Have people who are smokers and want to quit explain to teens how difficult quitting can be. Discuss the addictive nature of tobacco and the qualities of the drug nicotine.
Step 5
Explain the short-term health risks associated with smoking. While many teens believe they will never grow old, get pregnant, develop lung cancer or be involved in a traffic accident, they can understand the shorter-term adverse health risks such as sore throats and shortness of breath due to loss of lung capacity.
Step 6
Continue to reinforce the lessons of the dangers of smoking by occasionally raising the subject, especially when smoking is seen on television or during a movie. Explain the money that can be saved over a period of years by avoiding buying tobacco products.
Tips and Warnings
- Ask other adults involved in the teen's life, such as teachers and coaches, to reinforce the positive nature of teenager decisions to resist smoking.
- Casting tobacco as an evil fruit can cause rebellious teens to try smoking as a means of exerting independence or acting out against authority.
