Definition
Definition
The tobacco industry is one of the most prosperous in the world, and like any commercial activity, it must constantly find new customers, to increase its turnover and compensate for the "losses" linked to the premature deaths of its loyal customers...
And their target is clearly identified: teenagers, and even children.
Generalities
Winning new customers means that tobacconists must reach an increasingly younger population.
The means implemented are numerous, and the target easy to reach: indeed, what could be simpler for a seller of products dangerous to health than to seduce adolescents who, for many, seek to assert themselves by distancing themselves from their parents, by transgressing prohibitions, by claiming power over their bodies via toxic products (such as tobacco, alcohol, narcotics), but also piercings, tattoos, etc. The means implemented are numerous, and the target easy to reach: indeed, what could be simpler for a seller of products dangerous to health than to seduce adolescents who, for many, seek to assert themselves by distancing themselves from their parents, by transgressing prohibitions, by claiming power over their bodies via toxic products (such as tobacco, alcohol, narcotics), but also piercings, tattoos, etc.
At what age do children start smoking?
At 18, 7 out of 10 young people have already smoked:
- at 11 years old: 10% of girls and 14% of boys
- at 13 years old: 32% of girls and 34% of boys
- at 16 years old: 71% of girls and 66% of boys
What drives young people to start smoking?
It is mainly adults who encourage teenagers to try it:
- Seeing their parents smoking and getting pleasure from it is one of the main reasons why children try their first cigarette
- Regularly watching films in which the actors smoke makes teenagers want to smoke three times more often
What motivates teenagers who start smoking?
Their motivations are essentially of 3 types:
- imitate adult role models who smoke (actors, singers, etc.)
- disobey: 1 in 2 teenage smokers smokes in secret from their parents.
- being “like the others” to be accepted: smoking can be a way of “proving yourself”.
What are the cigarette manufacturers' weapons?
Adapt the product to the target:
- create different cigarettes, like the "candy cigarette": colored (pink, black, etc.) and flavored like a candy (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, etc.) in order to mask the acridity of tobacco, this invention by a tobacco manufacturer is intended to get around the obstacle of the (unpleasant) taste of cigarettes and to appeal to a very young public.
- present the cigarette as a gateway to adulthood, equate it with the notion of maturity
- represent it in a context of prohibitions reserved for adults (beer, wine, sex, etc.)
Are teenagers protected by law?
The law prohibits the sale of cigarettes to children under 16. However, in reality, we see that in almost all cases, retailers do not apply the law and readily sell cigarettes to teenagers without checking their age.
Read also:
3 misconceptions about smoking
Effects of tobacco on the body
Tobacco addiction: what are the causes?
Smoking and childhood leukemia
Photo credit: Teenagers with cigarettes – Pikselstock – Fotolia.com