A survey concluded that most smokers begin during adolescence or early adulthood. As of 2002, around 20% of young teens (13 to 15 years old) smoke worldwide. Around 80,000 to 100,000 children begin smoking everyday. And half of those teens are projected to continue smoking for 15 to 20 years.There have been a lot of factors as to why teens start smoking. Smoking has elements of risk-taking and rebellion, which appeals among teens. Children of smoking parents are more likely to smoke than children of nonsmokers. Peer pressure is also one of the reasons.

The statistics about teen smoking is overwhelming.
• In the United States, it is estimated that at least 4.5 million teens are smokers.
• If current smoking rates persist, an estimated 6.4 million children will die prematurely from a smoking-related disease.
• 80% of smokers begin before the age of 18 while 90% begin before the age of 21.

Remember that smoking-related diseases develop depending on how long you have been smoking and the type of tobacco product smoked. So if you start smoking during your teens, it is very likely that you will develop smoking-related diseases early in life.

Smoking predisposes a person to the following life-threatening diseases: lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, pancreatic cancer, cancer of the oral cavity, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, atherosclerosis, tuberculosis, invasive pneumococcal disease, asthma, and many more.

And what’s worse is that you are not just harming yourself. You are putting other people’s lives at risk. Secondhand smoking has also been linked to the same diseases that active smoking can cause!

Are you a teen? Quit smoking now! Talk to your parent about it and find support in quitting the habit. Are you a parent who wants your teen to quit? Talk with your teen about the harm that smoking does. Make him/her understand that quitting is the only option. Choose life! Quit smoking now!

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