Smoking and Youth

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

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

• Kids and Smoking (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Smoking Stinks! (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• You(th) & Tobacco (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Surgeon General) - PDF
• Teen Smoking (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Youth and Tobacco (Food and Drug Administration)

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

• Bidis and Kreteks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• E-Cigarettes: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Know More About Menthol Cigarettes (National Cancer Institute)

Health Check Tools

• Smoking Habits Quiz (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)
• State Estimates of Adolescent Cigarette Use and Perceptions of Risk of Smoking: 2012 and 2013 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF
• 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: Perceived risk of infection and smoking behavior change during COVID-19 in...
• Article: Epidemiological, Mycobacteriological, and Clinical Characteristics of Smoking Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients, in...
• Article: E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Acute Lung Injury and Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.
• 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