Top 10 Reasons Why Teenagers Smoke?

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) reports that 24.6% of all high school students get a taste of tobacco, with electronic cigarettes being the number one used tobacco product. It is also reported that 90% of all smokers started as teen smokers before hitting the age of 18 years. This indicates the graveness of teen smoking and how our vulnerable teenagers are falling prey to one of the world’s deadliest addictions – smoking.

It is common to see a teenager lighting up a cigarette on the roadside, in clubs, or even in airport smoking zones. Smoking-related illnesses like lung problems or heart diseases have also increased. There have been several anti-smoking campaigns for public awareness without much success.

Teenage Smoking Data by Country

Note: All percentages are approximate and rounded.

• U.S. data is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.
• U.K. data is based on NHS or Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports.
• Australian data is based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports.

Why do Teenagers Smoke

1. They grow seeing parent(s) smoke

Parents are the role model of a child, the biggest influencers. To watch a parent or a relative smoke, teenagers automatically take on the habit. Your teenager will get the idea that smoking helps when you are tense or dealing with a difficult situation in life. They will also believe that smoking is ‘normal’ or ‘acceptable’ as an adult.

If you are a parent and your child is constantly watching you smoke, expecting him not to is unrealistic. You must limit smoking in front of your children or quit it altogether. They prefer doing what the adults do. They think it to be part of life experience.

2. To fit in the crowd and be fashionable

Smokers are often portrayed as independent, authoritative people who command the masses. Teenagers often get into the habit of smoking to fit in their groups or to be liked by their friends. They tend to view smoking as a fashion statement and do not pay heed to the dangers of it. All that matters is they are making their new identity, away from their parent and being calm and fashionable.

3. Peer pressures

Friends are a big influence on teenagers – many follow their friends, whether right or wrong. Students who smoke often act macho and powerful in schools and colleges, bullying teens who do not take to smoking. Teenagers and young children battle peer pressure to start smoking to be liked and accepted by their friends. Often, they feel a need to be part of a peer group. In case this group consists of smokers, then they also smoke. They see their friends enjoying it, and since it is readily available, they start using it.

As a result, many teen girls and boys worldwide have their first cigarette experience while still in high school.

4. To embrace the ‘pop culture

To be ‘hep’, cool, ‘macho’, and likable by their friends and to embrace the pop culture, girls and boys take to smoking. The lifestyle of young people around the world influences a teenager to fit in as one of them, which makes him light a cigarette or two at social gatherings, and slowly it becomes a habit.

If teenagers worldwide are shown or made to believe in more straightforward, better things, the culture will surely change.

5. Media influence

Unfortunately, advertising companies target tobacco products for teenagers and young children, who are the most vulnerable people. Smoking adverts are carried in sports or fashion magazines and endorsed by popular personalities in cinema. Since many teens view these stars as their role models, they smoke to feel like them. Respective governments in many governments have banned certain advertisements which portray smoking as a very “enjoyable experience”. As per a 2011 study, 47% of teens were influenced by TV and movies to take cigarettes. Teens who want R-rated movies 3 times a month are seven times more likely to start this habit.

It is a fact that most regular adult smokers start to smoke during their teen years. Smoking is often associated with being romantic and something that gives a pleasant experience.

6. To believe and show their independence and defiance

Teen years are quite difficult – when there is this huge disconnect between what parents say and do and what the child wants. This quest for independence and the rebellious attitude translating into defiance causes the child to do exactly the opposite of what parents say.

Smoking becomes a way to demonstrate their independence and defiance of what parents believe and command the child to do.

7. Disturbed or broken families

Teenage is also a very sensitive age when children start to question and understand relationships. They either take drugs or alcohol, and smoking is also a way for them to escape from the harsh realities of life. Teenagers often smoke to silence their battles within, especially if they have been leading an emotionally disturbed family life.

Smoking gives them temporary relief from all the trauma and emotional pressures they have been dealing with.

8. Lack of experience and innocence

Assuming that bad things happen to others and the short-sightedness of the future due to lack of experience makes a young boy or girl start smoking. They also believe that they can quit smoking whenever they want to. Unless they have seen or experienced someone close dealing with the adverse effects of smoking, young boys or girls are quite naïve to the idea of any harm coming their way.

However, this ‘fun’ activity becomes an addiction that exposes them to various health dangers.

9. To experience the ecstasy

Boys and girls often hear their friends and other grown-ups that they feel ‘high’ or ‘relieved’ after a smoke. They start believing that smoking will boost their confidence, and they will behave like grown-ups and be mature. As they keep seeing their friends and family smoking, they tend to feel that smoking can take their pressures off too, and they start smoking to experience ecstasy and feel high.

10. Starts as an experiment

Teenage boys and girls are exploring life and wish to try out everything – good or bad. Many teenagers start smoking as another experiment, taking a puff now and then. First, they start smoking a cigarette or two at parties or get-togethers with friends, slowly smoking when alone and getting bored.

11. Emotional Pressure

Teenagers smoke to escape from the pressures of modern living. Often emotional pressures make them smoke too much. It gives them a happy feeling and boosts their confidence which might be more of a misnomer than truth. They end up taking up this bad habit to get out of the emotional situation or even depression.

12. Act Like Grown Up

Some teenagers feel they are grown-ups if they smoke. They would like to be adults as quickly as possible and would also like others to treat them.

13. Fashion

It is also fashionable to smoke. Many teenage boys and girls feel very “helped” when they smoke. If they do not, they feel they are missing out on something, which most people do.

14. Rebellion

A rebellious attitude also forces teenagers to smoke. If they are forced by adults not to smoke, they would exactly do the opposite. Adolescence is when most teenagers do not listen to their parents or well-wishers. They would like to do what they consider is the best for them. Smoking cigarettes is a way to make their parents angry and show they can do what they want.

FAQ on Teenager Smoking

Why are teenagers vulnerable to smoking?

Marketing gurus for the tobacco industry have been specifically targeting teenagers by advertising and displaying smoking as a masculine, modern way of being hip and popular. Movies often equate smoking with rebellion, authority, heroism, and action. Some companies use sportsmen and target-related media. This is how vulnerable a teen is to smoking. Let’s discuss the reasons that prompt educated teens to smoke.

What can parents do if their teenager smokes?

Teen smoking begins as an innocent experiment and slowly becomes an addiction that makes a child vulnerable to many serious health problems. As a parent, you need to handle the matter tactfully as a teenager is quite a sensitive age, and you cannot afford to play your cards wrong. At the same time, you cannot just sit back and watch your child get into the perils of smoking. Here is what you can do:

• Be a good role model: You have to start with YOU FIRST. If you smoke, do not do that in front of your child, or quit smoking altogether. You cannot ask your child not to do something if you patronize the same.
• Help with peer pressure: Make sure your teen knows how to resist peer pressure when it comes to smoking. Instead of using harsh words, practice with him like a real friend to refuse a cigarette when it comes his way confidently.
• Real-life examples: Teens think that bad things only happen to others and they are safe. Give them real examples of friends, relatives, TV stars, and the like who might have suffered from smoking. Discuss patients with cancer, heart attacks, and other lung diseases that these people may have been afflicted with.
• Applaud his or her good choices: Whenever your teen makes a good choice, applaud him and praise him. Similarly, whenever you come across an advertisement on smoking or an argument portraying smoking as cool, tell him it is a bad choice. Talk about the bad effects of smoking, and ask him how he feels about all of this. You will surely have a hearty chat that will help both of you understand each other on the subject better.
• Keep communication open: Teenage is a very vulnerable and sensitive time for a human being. Teenagers with parents who don’t talk openly with their children rely on friends and other cheap media for their information. It is important to talk about things that affect your child and keep communication flowing.
• Take addiction seriously: Just in case your teen takes to smoking, do not dismiss it as a one-off experiment. Most adult smokers start as teens only, and occasional smoking turns into addictive, regular smoking. Keep reminding your child about the ill effects of smoking, and curb the habit early on.

What are the top facts about Teenage Smoking?

• 90% of smokers start or have tried smoking by 18
• 99% of smokers started smoking by 26
• 3200 teens under 18 start their 1st cigarette ever day in US
• Flavorings in tobacco appeals more to youth
• 30% of teen smokers continue to smoke throughout their life and die early
• Anxiety disorders and depression and more common in teen smokers than otherwise

Teen smoking is a massive epidemic that we are facing, and with inventions like flavored tobacco, it is only getting worse. Parents and only parents can play a vital role in saving our future generation from this unhealthy addiction.

Teenage smoking is on the rise. Many children are getting addicted to smoking at an early age. Despite anti-smoking campaigns and public awareness about the ill effects of smoking, teenagers continue to smoke. It is a highly contagious habit that can seriously affect one’s health.

Conclusion

Understanding the reasons behind teenage smoking is essential for addressing this critical issue. Factors such as peer pressure, the desire for independence, and media influence play significant roles in initiating teenagers into smoking. Recognizing these factors provides a foundation for effective prevention strategies. It’s crucial to engage teenagers in open conversations about the risks of smoking and to support them in making healthy choices.