No ‘butts’ about it: Talk to your child or teen about smoking today!

As parents, we can help our children develop the right attitudes and skills to stay smoke-free. Talking to your children about smoking from an early age and mentioning your feelings about smoking can often help prepare them to say ‘no’ to smoking for life.

According to Health Canada, most smokers start before the age of 18. Many teens do not think they will become addicted to smoking but, sadly, this is often not the case. While only 5% of student smokers thought they would still be smoking in 5 years, during this time 80% had become heavy smokers.*

Don’t be afraid to talk to your children about smoking. You may be surprised at how early children become aware of people around them who smoke.

Here’s a quick look at the different stages of when children typically start to think about smoking and may begin experimenting.**

6 years old and under: Children begin to know about and form beliefs about smoking at an early age. The people that children see on a daily basis will shape how they see the world around them, and their thoughts about smoking. Ask caregivers, relatives and friends to set a good example by not smoking in front of your children.

7 to 11 years old: Most Canadian children do not experiment with smoking before the age of 7. Between the ages of 10 and 11-years-old is when children begin to think about experimenting. Be aware of older children, family members, friends or neighbours who smoke and talk to your child about how they feel about it.

12 to 14 years old: At this age, children may have already experimented with smoking and are now smoking occasionally, maybe on weekends or at a party. Between grades 10 to 12, 48% of youth have tried smoking and 55% have tried some form of tobacco (including chew, cigarillos and little cigars).*** This is also the age when youth start to rebel. Peer pressure builds at this stage and it is very possible that your child has friends who smoke.

15 to 19 years old: The period between 15-19 years is a critical time for young people who are most at risk for taking up smoking. Most smokers start as teenagers. Half of all smokers have smoked their first full cigarette by age 15 and 90% of smokers have smoked their first full cigarette by age 19.****

Learn more about how you can take actionand make no ‘butts’ about talking to your children today:

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*Youth Smoking Survey (YSS) 2006-2007
**Health Canada: Help your child stay smoke free (2008) Guide
*** YSS 2006-2007
****YSS 2006-2007