Whether you always carry a pack of cigarettes in your pocket or you have never smoked before, you’ve likely heard about a smoke-free generation. It’s an idea that focuses on paving the way to protect children from tobacco, as well as the need for concerted actions in achieving this goal. However, many people still view this concept as nothing more than just a pipe dream. Are they right?
There’s one argument that often emerges: if we stop the young generation from smoking, won’t they turn to another popular trend, which is vaping? According to the experts from vapekit.co.uk, cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 toxic compounds that are absent in the vapour produced by electronic cigarettes. It means that vaping might be a safer and healthier alternative to smoking and shouldn’t be disregarded right away.
It’s no secret that the tensions around and within the tobacco industry are growing each year. Therefore, it’s definitely worth taking a more detailed look at the concept of a smoke-free generation, its realistic chances of success, and the issue of smoking among young people.
Tobacco Use Among Children and Teens
According to the article published by the National Library of Medicine, preventing youth initiation may be the key to ending the tobacco epidemic, as more than 80 percent of smokers pick up their first cigarette by age 18, and virtually all smokers start by 26. Some young people lack a good example, as in the UK alone, there are over 5.5 million adult smokers, while others reach for cigarettes due to peer pressure that they experience.
The facts might sound astonishing or even terrifying, but survey data indicate that currently, in the UK, around 207 000 children aged 11–15 start smoking every year. The young generation might be drawn to smoking for many reasons — to look cool, act older, lose weight, seem tough, or feel more independent. Moreover, the media and pop culture have been glamorising smoking for years and continue to do so despite its evident harmfulness.
Tobacco imagery in entertainment continues to portray smoking positively. The act of lighting up a cigarette is shown as something rebellious and edgy, and there’s no denying that these images have a tremendous influence on youth, who are especially susceptible to both environmental and social influences to reach for cigarettes.
Popular TV shows, video games, and movies depict and glamorise smoking. Celebrities and influencers pose with cigarettes on magazine covers and share smoking-related images on social media, thus helping to normalise smoking and making it seem cool or trendy.
Furthermore, the expansion of the media landscape means more and more opportunities for exposure. Wherever the kids and young people turn, they are likely to see their idols or favourite characters smoke or hold a pack of cigarettes.
Changes in the Public Perception of Smoking
Even though smoking seems to be an inseparable element of today’s culture, more and more people are starting to express their frustration. The shift might not be happening fast enough, but parents and schools are starting to talk more openly about smoking and tobacco use, making it easier to raise awareness among young people.
An analysis by ASH and UCL found that over a million people in the UK have stopped smoking since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, and further 440,000 smokers tried to quit during this period. More and more people successfully quit smoking, but this doesn’t mean that parents can stop encouraging their kids to leave the cigarettes for good.
The public needs to talk about quitting smoking in a way that doesn’t make kids fear punishment or judgement. Parents can get their kids involved in activities that don’t allow smoking, such as sports, and encourage them to walk away from friends who don’t respect their reasons for not smoking.
A significant part of responsibility in terms of stopping young people from smoking also lies on local authorities and governments. They can protect children from the harms of tobacco and help people who do smoke quit in a number of ways, including providing high-quality stop smoking services, running campaigns and marketing strategies, enforcing smoke-free legislation, and de-normalising smoking by establishing more smoke-free environments.
Is Smoke-Free Generation Possible To Achieve?
The health consequences of smoking, including secondhand exposure and its dangerous popularity among the youth, make smoking prevention and tobacco control crucial parts of any public health strategy. While the concept of tobacco-free generation is quite straightforward, and it’s a path towards eliminating the addiction, disease, and premature deaths caused by cigarettes and other tobacco industry products, it’s incredibly challenging to establish if one day we can start living in a smoke-free world.
Countries such as New Zealand have already decided to ban the sale of tobacco to the next generation as part of a nationwide effort to phase out smoking eventually. A bill regarding this matter is set to be introduced into New Zealand’s parliament in June 2022, expecting to be passed by the end of the year.
Its main objective is to make it impossible for anyone born after 2008 to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime. Scholars and doctors who support this decision said it would help people quit or switch to less harmful products (such as e-cigarettes) and significantly reduce the chances of young people getting addicted to nicotine.
While many New Zealanders spoke in favour of these changes, others raised concerns that this move may create a black market for tobacco. The government responded by acknowledging the need to enforce effective border control. Depending on the results, it’s certainly possible that some countries might decide to follow in New Zealand’s footsteps.
The Bottom Line
Choosing to be tobacco-free could be one of the most important decisions a person can ever make. However, many kids still feel pressured to try cigarettes, whether by their peers or due to the media and pop culture that continues to glamorise smoking and depict it as something cool and trendy.
It’s up to adults and the governments to take measures that help discourage youth from smoking, as young people who try smoking are highly likely to grow up to become smokers. If more countries adopted the tobacco-free policy and decided to take more decisive action, the vast majority of teens could possibly never begin smoking.
Therefore, creating a smoke-free environment for the next generation is challenging but doable. The more people join the movement and make an effort to learn more about the risks of smoking, the better results it might bring.
