Parent Resource Center

Youth Smoking Prevention
Talking to Your Pre-Teen About Not Smoking

The younger people are when they start smoking, the more likely they are to become addicted.11. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1994). Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General. (DHHS Publication No. 017-001-00491-0). Atlanta, GA: US Government Printing Office. A recent national survey of teenagers found that 16 percent reported that they had smoked at least one cigarette before they were 13 years old.22. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005). 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results.

That's why it's so important to start talking to your children about not smoking while they're still very young, to tailor your approach to their stage of development, and to continue those talks throughout their adolescence.33. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What You(th) Should Know About Tobacco. Retrieved May 18, 2005 from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/educational_materials/yuthfax1.htm,44. Cohen, D.A., Richardson, J., and LeBree, L. (1994). Parenting behaviors and the onset of smoking and alcohol use: A longitudinal study. Pediatrics, 94(3), 368-75. On issues related to smoking, pre-teens are more influenced by their parents than by their friends.55. Sussman, S. (2001). School-based tobacco use prevention and cessation: Where are we going? American Journal of Health Behavior, 25(3), 191-9.,66. Simons-Morton, B.G. (2002). Prospective analysis of peer and parent influences on smoking initiation among early adolescents. Prevention Science, 3(4), 275-83.

Your opinions and guidance really count during this stage of your children's development. They may act bored or even roll their eyes when you bring up health-related issues, but they're really listening to what you have to say. Don't be discouraged.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

In addition to talking about the significant health risks of smoking, there are some issues that are especially relevant to pre-teens.77. Simons-Morton, B.G., et al. (1999). Psychosocial, school, and parent factors associated with recent smoking among early-adolescent boys and girls. Preventive Medicine, 28, 138-48. Children this age often look for ways to test their independence and to show how mature they are. That's why some try smoking. Here are some tips that can help you be more effective when you talk to them about the reasons for not smoking:

  • Let your child know that smoking is not common. Children who smoke tend to overestimate the number of teenagers who smoke. Talk about how the large majority of teens do not smoke and why they choose not to do it.
  • Talk about how using tobacco will limit how well they do in sports and other activities. Describe how it affects their stamina and breathing, especially during competition or performance.
  • Emphasize how smoking means that they have less money to spend on other things they want. Calculate how much cigarettes cost and what else they could buy with that money.
  • Discuss how smoking is not a sign of maturity. Most adults are non-smokers. Many who do smoke wish they'd never started. Real maturity means standing up to social pressure.
  • Talk about how it's okay to say no to someone who offers you a cigarette, even if it's a friend. After all, a real friend wouldn't give you something that could harm your health. Practice "refusal skills" so that your children feel comfortable and confident saying no if someone offers them tobacco.
Activity: What Would You Do?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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Text in this section from: Talking to pre-teens about not smoking (2006)

Free resources for Parents:

Download free publications from the Raising Kids Who Don't Smoke parent resource series.