The average smoker starts at age 12 years. These associations encourage young people to smoke, dip, or chew tobacco. Each year in the U.S., an estimated 11 percent of all asthma cases and more than half a million physician visits for asthma are due to smoking in the home. ETS can cause problems for children later in life, including lung cancer, heart disease, and cataracts. Pregnant women who smoke and nonsmoking pregnant women exposed daily to tobacco smoke are more likely to have low birth weight babies at risk for death and disease in infancy and early childhood.
Parents can help their children avoid cigarettes by being good role models.
Children also benefit from media education when they learn to view cigarette advertising with a critical eye and understand how and why those messages are created. The information on children and tobacco use was provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This overview was prepared by Lucy Lin, Research Assistant, under the direction of Margaret Dalton, J.D., Project Director, Information Clearinghouse on Children, Children's Advocacy Institute. The industry code, now in effect, has six age-based categories. The purpose of the hearing is to meet the Commission s legal mandate to consult with appropriate public interest groups and others from the private sector to determine if the industry s voluntary plan for rating programs is acceptable.