Smoking and Youth

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Smoking cigarettes has many health risks for everyone. However, the younger you are when you start smoking, the more problems it can cause. People who start smoking before the age of 21 have the hardest time quitting. Teens who smoke are also more likely to use alcohol and illegal drugs.

The problem is not just cigarettes. Spit tobacco, e-cigarettes, and cigars are not safe alternatives to cigarettes. Low-tar and additive-free tobacco products are not safe either.

Young people who do not start using tobacco by age 18 will most likely never start.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Cigarette Smoking (Boston Children's Hospital) Also in Spanish
• Kids and Smoking (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Know the Risks (National Cancer Institute, Tobacco Control Research Branch)

Related Issues

• Path to Smoking Addiction Starts at Very Young Ages (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids) - PDF
• Tobacco Harm to Kids (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids) - PDF

Specifics

• E-Cigarettes: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Hookah: What's Old Is New - And Unsafe (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Menthol Tobacco Products (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Youth and Tobacco Use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Smoking and Youth (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: What drives youth smoking initiation in Bosnia and Herzegovina? Evidence from...
• Article: Tobacco use among blue-collar workers in Nigeria: a survey of construction...
• Article: Misread signals: a misinterpretation of population-level vaping and smoking trends.
• Smoking and Youth -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• How Lungs Work (American Lung Association)

Find an Expert

• American Lung Association
• National Institute on Drug Abuse Also in Spanish

Children

• Smoking and Asthma (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Smoking Stinks! (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Smoking (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Smoking and Asthma (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)
• The Real Cost: Know the Real Cost of Tobacco (Department of Health and Human Services)

Patient Handouts

• Talking to your child about smoking (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish