Key Facts About Tobacco Use Among Children and Teenagers

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Among adults who smoke, 68 percent began smoking regularly at age 18 or younger, and 85 percent started when they were 21 or younger.4 The average age of daily smoking initiation for new smokers in 2008 was 20.1 years among those 12-49 years old.5 Every day, almost 3,900 children under 18 years of age try their first cigarette, and more than 950 of them will become new, regular daily smokers.6 Half of them will ultimately die from their habit.7 People who begin smoking at an early age are more likely to develop a severe addiction to nicotine than those who start at a later age. Of adolescents who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, most of them report that they would like to quit, but are not able to do so.8

Prevalence of Tobacco Use Among Children and Teenagers

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In 2007, 20 percent of high school students reported smoking in the last 30 days, down 45 percent from 36.4 percent in 1997 when rates peaked after increasing throughout the first half of the 1990s.9 Among high school students in 2007, the most prevalent forms of tobacco used were cigarettes (20 percent), cigars (13.6 percent), and smokeless tobacco (includes chewing tobacco and snuff; 7.9 percent).10 The decline in smoking among high school girls has slowed recently. Between 1999 and 2003, cigarette smoking prevalence among high school girls decreased by 37 percent. However, between 2003 and 2007, there was only a 15 percent decrease in prevalence of cigarette use.11 In 2004, 11.7 percent of middle school students reported using any tobacco product; 8.4 percent used cigarettes. In 2004, 5.3 percent of middle school students were current cigar users, a decline of 30 percent since 1997.12 Since 1990 teenagers and young adults have had the highest rates of maternal smoking during pregnancy. In 2005, 16.6 percent of female teens aged 15-19 and 18.6 percent of women aged 20-24 smoked during pregnancy.13 In 2007, 49.7 percent of current smokers in high school had tried to quit smoking cigarettes.14 In 2002, 55.4 percent of middle school students who smoked seriously tried to quit.15 Statistics on Teen Smoking -Approximately 80% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18. Every day, nearly 3,000 young people under the age of 18 become regular smokers. More than 5 million children living today will die prematurely because of a decision they will make as adolescents---the decision to smoke cigarettes. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) -An estimated 2.1 million people began smoking on a daily basis in 1997. More than half of these new daily smokers were younger than age 18. This translates to more than 3,000 new youth smokers per day. The rate of youth initiation of daily smoking increased somewhat from 55.5 to 74.9 per 1,000 potential new users between 1991 and 1996, but remained level in 1997(the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) -Nearly all first use of tobacco occurs before high school graduation. -Most young people who smoke are addicted to nicotine and report that they want to quit but are unable to do so. -Tobacco is often the first drug used by young people who use alcohol and illegal drugs.

-Among young people, those with poorer grades and lower self-images are most likely to begin using tobacco. -Over the past decade, there has been virtually no decline in smoking rates among all teens. Among black adolescents, however, the prevalence of smoking has declined dramatically. -Young people who come from a low-income family and have fewer than two adults living in their household are especially at risk for becoming smokers.