Of all the young people in the United States who are currently younger than 18, more than 5 million will die prematurely from smoking related causes. Many people said because of the peer pressure and to look cool. 7th grade health and science teacher, Mr. Lott, thought kids smoked because of the image of smoking created by all the advertising and movies. It's something that older, more grown up people get to do and that appeals to some young people. Mr. Wright agreed that the influence of media advertisement is powerful.
Cigarettes are one of the most heavily advertised and promoted products in our country.
They are aware that starting smoking greatly increases the risk of lung cancer. Also, a person's risk for other smoking related diseases is greatly increased. Statistics say that it is more likely that teens will smoke if their parents do. This is alarming because young people tend to underestimate the addictiveness of nicotine. There's a lot being done to stop kids from smoking.