Using any kind of tobacco product is unsafe, especially for kids, teens and young adults. Yet according to CDC's Global Youth Tobacco Survey (2006–2017), at least 14 million young people aged 13 to 15 worldwide use tobacco products, while tobacco companies spend billions of dollars a year marketing cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes.
Since 1988, the World Health Organization has used World No Tobacco Day to highlight tobacco's harm to health. The year of this CDC feature, WHO focused on preventing youth tobacco use and the industry's efforts to attract young people.
U.S. youth and tobacco
- In 2019, about 40% of U.S. middle and high school students had ever used a tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, and 23% had used one in the past 30 days.
- Most adults who regularly use tobacco started before age 18.
- Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive drug. The brain keeps developing until about 25, and nicotine during those years can harm the parts that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control.
- The younger someone starts, the more likely they are to become dependent — which is why the industry targets young people with ads and sponsorships in stores, online, in media and at cultural events.
Secondhand smoke
At least 500 million children under 15 in 21 countries breathe secondhand smoke. In the United States:
- 1 in 4 Americans, about 58 million people, are exposed;
- children aged 3 to 11 have the highest exposure of any age group;
- African American children are more likely to be exposed than children of other racial or ethnic groups.
Quitting and smoke-free policies protect people who don't smoke.
What draws young people in
| Pull | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Ads | Studies in the U.S. and elsewhere show the more tobacco ads young people see, the likelier they are to use tobacco |
| Movies | The Surgeon General has said seeing smoking in movies makes youth likelier to smoke. Fewer PG-13 and lower-rated films show smoking than 15 years earlier, but those that do show more of it |
| Flavors | Since 2009, cigarettes in flavors other than menthol can't be sold in the U.S., yet youth are likelier than adults to smoke menthols. More than 2 in 3 young e-cigarette users use flavored ones, and flavors are a major reason they give for starting |
| E-cigarettes | Since 2014, most U.S. youth who have used tobacco have used e-cigarettes, a share that has grown. Newer devices use nicotine salts, which make higher nicotine levels easier to inhale |
What adults can do
| Who | How they can help |
|---|---|
| Parents and caregivers | Be tobacco-free (1-800-QUIT-NOW or smokefree.gov can help); talk with kids about the harms of all tobacco, including e-cigarettes; know what they watch and discuss tobacco in it; say you expect them not to use it, or to stop; never give tobacco to young people |
| Health care providers | Ask patients about tobacco, explain the dangers and advise quitting. In a 2015 survey, only 1 in 3 U.S. high schoolers said a doctor had raised smoking during a visit |
| States and communities | Fund tobacco control at CDC-recommended levels; limit tobacco advertising; raise prices; run hard-hitting media campaigns; pass comprehensive smoke-free laws; license tobacco sellers and limit where tobacco is sold; offer barrier-free access to proven quit treatments |
CDC offers guides for parents, teachers and providers on talking to kids about e-cigarettes, and the Surgeon General's office has tips for parents.
Help with quitting
In 2019, more than half of U.S. young people who used tobacco said they were seriously thinking about quitting. Quitting as soon as possible is the healthiest choice — and it's never too late, at any age.
| Resource | Details |
|---|---|
| 1-800-QUIT-NOW | Connects to your state quitline: text support, counseling, web chat |
| Other languages | Spanish 1-855-DÉJELO-YA; Cantonese and Mandarin 1-800-838-8917; Korean 1-800-556-5564; Vietnamese 1-800-778-8440 |
| SmokefreeTXT for Teens | Free text-message program for ages 13 to 19 |
| quitSTART app | Custom tips, inspiration and challenges |
| CDC.gov/Quit, Smokefree.gov | Texting programs and apps for adults |
Sources
Based on "World No Tobacco Day: Protect Our Youth," Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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