How to Talk to Teens About Smoking

Every day, 3,600 American children try smoking for the first time and 900 children become regular smokers, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Many children become addicted to tobacco before they are old enough to understand the dangers of the product and then end up suffering serious health consequences as a result. Parents have a responsibility to their teens to discuss the dangers of smoking.

Instructions

    • 1

      Start speaking to your child about the dangers of smoking as early as possible. It's best to start at the age of 5 or 6. Many children begin smoking at around 11 years of age and become fully addicted by the time they are 14. Creating an early dialogue can help prevent your child from starting, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official website. This also makes it easier to continue the dialogue when your child reaches his teens.

    • 2

      Use real life stories about how tobacco use has affected the lives of family members or friends. If you have a story about a loved one who died or became ill from smoking, tell it to your teen, suggests the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    • 3

      Avoid judging or threatening punishment when beginning the discussion -- you want to encourage honesty from your teen, suggests the Nemours Foundation's website, Kids Health.

    • 4

      Ask your teen if any of her friends smoke. If her friends smoke, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend teaching her ways in which she can refuse tobacco if it is offered to her.

    • 5

      Discuss how smoking is depicted in the media. When watching television, for example, you can talk about how characters glamorize the habit and do not reveal the real consequences of smoking.

    • 6

      Discuss what the child thinks about smoking. Find out what he finds appealing or disgusting about tobacco and talk more about these feelings.

    • 7

      Tell the teen about how much smoking can control a person's life. Explain how much money it costs, how it can negatively influence friendships, how it can influence how she spends her free time and how negative effects on her health can reduce her quality of life.

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