Teens Light Up as Stress Takes its Toll
HealthScout (Aug 5, 2001)
by Pat Curry / HealthScoutNews Reporter
Today's teens have heard from day one that smoking is bad for them. Unlike their parents and grandparents, they've never seen a TV ad for cigarettes. Chances are, they've never bought candy cigarettes at the corner store. And at school, they've gotten the message year after year that tobacco damages their lungs, reduces their athletic performance, stains their teeth and fingers, and makes their clothes smell -- and their kisses taste -- like smoke.

So why, when the percentage of adult smokers is dropping, is the number of teens who consider themselves regular smokers going up? Researchers who study adolescent smoking say they may have found at least one very grown-up cause for the increase: stress.