Teenagers tend to minimize the risk of their current smoking on the grounds that they have lots of time before they have to worry about any health consequences. Partly because they have assimilated the dangers of smoking, teens are comfortable with the idea of smoking reduction policies, subject to a few exceptions. They find laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors to be hypocritical or discriminatory, since it is not illegal for teens to possess cigarettes or smoke. Similarly, they find proposals to ban smoking in clubs or bars to be unrealistic since smoking is part of the lifestyle in these venues. Other control measures receive wide acceptance.
Most teens accept the idea that the non-smoking majority has the right to a smoke free workplace.
Teens were especially concerned about protecting infants and young children from cigarette smoke. In their own lives, however, their own exposure to secondhand smoke does not appear to be a large concern. While teens deny being influenced by tobacco advertising, there is strong evidence that brand identities have been established and preferences established among smoking teens. Above all, teen smokers like to think of themselves as adults who have made a lifestyle choice. There was little evidence of any anti-smoking message that had made a significant impact on teens.