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Prevent Kids from Using Tobacco

Prevent Kids from Using Tobacco

Tobacco companies know they need to find new users. That is why they target youth with their deadly products.

  • They keep tobacco products cheap by distributing coupons, running buy one, get one free deals, and offering other cost-cutting incentives.
  • They advertise near schools, playgrounds, and other places young people gather.
  • They work to ensure that tobacco products are placed up front in stores, next to candy and other items youth typically want to buy.
  • They use colorful packaging and tasty flavors for their products, and they run promotions showing famous people using their products.
This Public Service Announcement from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention shows that millions of today's children will ultimately die early from smoking if we don't do more to reduce current smoking rates.

What Can be Done?

Most people start using tobacco in their pre-teen and teen years, a time during which a youth's brain is still growing, making it easier to get addicted to the nicotine in tobacco. That's why it's important to educate youth about the dangers of tobacco and the fact that they are targeted by the tobacco companies and should say "no" to starting.

Increasing the price of tobacco products and presenting messages that counter the tobacco industry’s marketing are among the ways in which we can help youth never start using tobacco.

Policies that make "tobacco-free" the norm and that protect youth from getting and using these deadly products are also important. 24/7 tobacco-free school policy, prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products, and having tobacco-free outdoor parks and beaches are all examples of policies that may help prevent kids from using tobacco.

For information on youth e-cigarette use, visit www.michigan.gov/e-cigarettes.
 

Resources

This Centers for Disease Control & Prevention video explores the various ways in which the tobacco industry targets young people, the growing popularity of emerging products, such as e-cigarettes,  and the dangers associated with those products.

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