UICC Tobacco and Cancer UICC Tobacco Control Fact Sheet 6 Policies to Protect Young People from Tobacco Promotion and Sales and Prevent the Onset of Tobacco Use Smoking prevalence Children become aware of cigarettes at an early age. The proportion of regular smokers increases sharply with age. Numerous studies have shown that most young smokers are influenced by their friends' and older siblings' smoking habits.
Advertising also creates the impression that smoking is a socially acceptable norm.
The earlier children become regular smokers and persist in the habit as adults, the greater the risk of dying prematurely. Economic factors have an important effect on children's smoking habits and evidence from the USA suggests that teenagers are even more responsive to price increases than are adults. In a number of countries including the UK, it is illegal to sell any tobacco product to anyone below the age of 16, in others the age is 18. It is clear, therefore, that laws restricting the sale of cigarettes to young people below the age of either 16 or 18, must be enforced and the effectiveness of such measures regularly monitored. UICC Recommendation UICC recommends all countries to adopt policies to protect young people from tobacco promotion and sales and prevent the onset of tobacco use.