Smoking Is on the Increase Among Young People
Smoking is on the increase among young people.
While is on the decline among adults, the latest US Surgeon – General's report indicates that increasing numbers of youngsters are taking up the habit. Perhaps the main reason for this alarming fact is the seductive advertising campaigns aimed at young people by the tobacco companies. Other contributing factors include the lack of awareness on the part of school children of the dangers of smoking, and the widespread availability of cigarettes. Furthermore, smoking retains an image of sophisticated maturity among young people, making the habit a magnet for those still in the progress of moulding themselves into what they want to be.
Firstly, one way to combat this problem would be for the government to ban all cigarette advertising in order to reverse this disturbing trend. This ban could also prohibit smoking on television and in films. As a result, young people would no longer be constantly exposed to seductive images of cigarettes.
Secondly, by introducing a “negative image” advertising campaign, governments could expose the truth – that smoking is a dangerous habit which kills thousands of people every year. Not only would such a campaign deter young people from wanting to start smoking, but others might also be encouraged to give up.
Another way to overcome this problem would be to impose heavier taxes on cigarettes, thus making them even more expensive than they already are. Consequently, smoking would become far too costly a habit for most young people to take up or maintain.
If measures were taking at schools warm children more effectively about the dangers of smoking, the situation might improve. Teachers could tell their students what will happen to them if they smoke and teach them about the wide variety of ailments that smoking produces. In this way, children will never want to start smoking, thanks to their knowledge of what it could do to their bodies.
One final suggestion which would help,
While is on the decline among adults, the latest US Surgeon – General's report indicates that increasing numbers of youngsters are taking up the habit. Perhaps the main reason for this alarming fact is the seductive advertising campaigns aimed at young people by the tobacco companies. Other contributing factors include the lack of awareness on the part of school children of the dangers of smoking, and the widespread availability of cigarettes. Furthermore, smoking retains an image of sophisticated maturity among young people, making the habit a magnet for those still in the progress of moulding themselves into what they want to be.
Firstly, one way to combat this problem would be for the government to ban all cigarette advertising in order to reverse this disturbing trend. This ban could also prohibit smoking on television and in films. As a result, young people would no longer be constantly exposed to seductive images of cigarettes.
Secondly, by introducing a “negative image” advertising campaign, governments could expose the truth – that smoking is a dangerous habit which kills thousands of people every year. Not only would such a campaign deter young people from wanting to start smoking, but others might also be encouraged to give up.
Another way to overcome this problem would be to impose heavier taxes on cigarettes, thus making them even more expensive than they already are. Consequently, smoking would become far too costly a habit for most young people to take up or maintain.
If measures were taking at schools warm children more effectively about the dangers of smoking, the situation might improve. Teachers could tell their students what will happen to them if they smoke and teach them about the wide variety of ailments that smoking produces. In this way, children will never want to start smoking, thanks to their knowledge of what it could do to their bodies.
One final suggestion which would help,