It is very puzzling that many young people are taking up smoking despite the number of health warnings that there are. It’s a serious problem, especially in the case of young girls who are increasingly joining the ranks of smokers. Teen smoking is on the rise and the long-term health risks are a worry. In addition to smoking, their health is further threatened by a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet. The situation is like a ticking bomb waiting to go off.

Why aren’t the health warnings working on the young? It’s harder to persuade a young person not to smoke if adults around them, including parents, indulge in the habit themselves. Smoking is decreasing in the general population but teen smoking continues to be a problem. This is despite the ban on smoking in public places, the increased cost and the ban on tobacco advertising in some countries.

Peer pressure has always been a factor in these matters and teenagers look to their friends for approval. It’s hard to be the only one to say no. There must be a way of making smoking an uncool thing to do. This is difficult in the current atmosphere of smokers being perceived as anti-social. Being anti-social attracts the young in the first place. Perhaps some celebrities, such as rock stars and rap singers, could launch an anti teen smoking campaign. This could be worth more than a thousand sermons from the government.

Gritty tactics have to be employed in this war of persuasion. The facts should speak for themselves but it’s hard to get a young person’s attention by telling them that their lungs will stop functioning in twenty years time. That seems like a lifetime away. It’s better to concentrate on the here and now and emphasize that their clothes stink of cigarette smoke, their teeth and fingers are stained and their breath smells. Teen smoking could stop if they think that they’re not going to get a girlfriend / boyfriend because of it.

There isn’t enough effort being put into this problem, compared with other initiatives involving recreational drug use and alcohol abuse. Cigarettes are a drug and should be treated as such. Teen smoking is every bit as important and on a huge scale. It will take courage on the part of young smokers too. They need the help of us all; government, health care providers, schools, friends and families.