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Teen Smoking Prevention Methods

About one-fourth of all high school students smoke cigarettes or use other tobacco products, according to the National Institutes of Health. Preventing teens from starting smoking is the best way to encourage a smoke-free life. Yet, teens sometimes fail to understand the long-term effects of tobacco use, as the future feels far off. Sharing the facts about smoking with teens is essential to helping them make the right decisions.

  1. Talk About the Immediate Effects

    • Because teens may not wrap their heads around the cancerous effects of tobacco products, focus on the short-term effects of smoking. The bad breath caused by smoking can be a major turn-off to friends and romances, as can yellowing teeth. Smoke gets into clothes, creating an unattractive stench. Plus, smokers are more prone to catch colds and coughs as a result of their weakened respiratory system. If you have kids who have their own jobs, add up the amount of money that goes to buying both tobacco products and other products like gum and mints to hide the effects of smoking. The price climbs fast, illustrating how they are throwing their hard-earned money away.

    Share Visuals for Long-Term Effects

    • Confronting teens with the long-term effects of tobacco use is best done with visual aids. Take a trip to the local hospital to see if it is possible to compare the lungs of a smoker to a non-smoker. Or find pictures to compare these organs. Share pictures of smokers' gums versus healthy gums. Take it a step further and dig up personal testimonies from smokers who have been afflicted with terminal illness because of smoking. Their personal stories will help to illuminate the reality of smoking.

    Start a Dialogue

    • Ask questions and listen to how teens feel about the peer pressure aspects of smoking. Listen to their stories and allow space for discussion. Treating teens like adults is the best way to encourage them to approach the dangers of smoking like an adult. Have other teens, who have already committed to not smoking, lead the discussion. Hearing information from peers is the best way to counteract peer pressure in the future.

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