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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
Latest News
- Smoking Losing Its Cool with Kids, CDC Says (09/22/2016, HealthDay)
- Many Teens 'Vaping' for Flavor, Not Nicotine (08/25/2016, HealthDay)
- Starting Monday, FDA Banning E-Cigarette Sales to Minors (08/08/2016, HealthDay)
- More News on Smoking and Youth
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults (Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Teen Smoking (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Youth and Tobacco (Food and Drug Administration)
Related Issues
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Health Effects
(National Cancer Institute)
- 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
- What Is a Hookah? (Nemours Foundation)
Specifics
- Bidis and Kreteks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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MedlinePlus: E-Cigarettes (National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
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Menthol Cigarettes (National Cancer Institute)
Health Check Tools
- Smoking Quiz: Do You Need Help to Quit? (American Cancer Society)
Statistics and Research
- Frequency of Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students -- United States, 2014 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Percentage of U.S. Adolescents Who Smoke Cigarettes (Department of Health and Human Services)
- State Estimates of Adolescent Cigarette Use and Perceptions of Risk of Smoking: 2012 and 2013 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF
- Toll of Tobacco in the United States of America (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids) - PDF
- Youth and Tobacco Use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Smoking and Youth (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
- How Lungs Work (American Lung Association)
Find an Expert
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)
- Smoking and Asthma (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)
