Smoking is an addiction that can lead to very serious health threats, including lung disease, cancer and stroke. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Children reports startling statistics regarding teen smoking: Every year more than 300,000 kids under the age of 18 start smoking. Approximately 30 percent of these new adolescent smokers will die from smoking-related causes. Understanding the influences that cause teens to smoke may help parents find a way to approach their teens so that they won't want to begin the habit.
Peer Pressure
As a part of teens' everyday lives, peer pressure can be a strong influence when it comes to smoking that first cigarette. MayoClinic.com advises parents to expect that your child will be exposed to friends who smoke and who encourage your child to join in. Initiating a conversation about how to deal with the pressure to use tobacco products, alcohol or engage in other risky behaviors can prepare your child for situations in which you'd like him to say no.
An interesting fact regarding peer pressure and smoking is related by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Teens think more of their friends and classmates smoke than the numbers actually report. On average, adolescents think that at least half of all teens smoke, but research shows that only 17 percent of kids under 18 years old indulge in tobacco products.
Family Lifestyle
Your teen may not show it, and may in fact try to act as if he doesn't care what you and the rest of the family does, but your family's lifestyle and habits influence your teenager a great deal. The Campaign for Smoke-Free Kids explains that children who have parents who smoke are more likely to not only smoke, but to begin smoking at an earlier age and to smoke more than those who do not have parents with a nicotine addiction. Your smoking might not be the only reason why your child picks up a cigarette, but setting a good example can eliminate it as a factor. Designate your home as a smoke-free zone; do not allow smoking in the house by anyone. If you smoke, quit and encourage your teen to quit as well.
Media
The images that your teen sees in the media can influence her in several ways. She may emulate the stars' fashion choices, listen to music she hears on television and in the movies, and like some of her idols, she may smoke. Pro-smoking advertising has declined over the years, but ads for cigarettes still exist and certain brands are still shown in movies, according to Darmouth's Hood Center for Children and Families. Smoking on film can be perceived as sexy to adolescents and young adults, which makes them more likely to want to go down that path. The Hood Center offers statistics showing that teens may be up to three times more at-risk for starting a nicotine habit after seeing an actor smoke in a movie, and R-rated movies are the worst offenders. Young adults who watch R-rated movies are about 66 percent more likely to smoke than their peers who watch PG-13 movies or have stricter "screen" limits.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Teen Smoking: 10 Ways to Help Teens Stay Smoke-Free
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: How Parents Can Protect Their Kids From Becoming Addicted Smokers
- Hood Center for Children and Families: Smoking - Parent and Family Influences
- Hood Center for Children and Families: Smoking - Media Influences
