Why Do Children Use Tobacco?
Children will imitate what they see around them. If their parents, siblings or friends smoke, children are more likely to smoke. Ads and the media are also powerful influences. For example, children may try tobacco because they see television stars smoking, sports figures chewing tobacco, and/or popular cartoon characters advertising cigarettes. Why do many children who try tobacco keep using it? Nicotine is extremely habit-forming. One puff on a cigarette can excite the brain within 10 seconds, quickly activating the same pathways that control feelings of pleasure. A person can become physically hooked on nicotine after smoking as few as 100 cigarettes and emotionally hooked after even a few cigarettes. Genetic factors also may play a role in influencing how a person reacts to nicotine.
