What age to teach children about the harm of Smoking?

Question

I have a 9yo & 5yo and they are horrified and grossed out by the new ads on TV showing what smoking does to your lungs (in Australia).

Is scare tactics effective at this age or am I being a mean mum showing my kids horrifying images at a young age?

Answer 1

start now! as long as they see someone smoking start telling them that smoking is not good for the health.explain this to them.

Answer 2

you can teach all you want but they WILL be exposed to in high school and they will make their own decision

Answer 3

Enforce how bad smoking is from as young as possible. Because there are no two sides to smoking. Its bad, Full stop. If your children know how bad it is, it will stop them from wanting to smoke, or it should.

The graphic images, are reality. This will happen if you smoke. If they do not like the images, then they won't smoke. Sounds harsh but its true. But do say, to them that if they avoid drugs of any kind, they won't end up like the images.

Good Luck Hope i helped. :)

Answer 4

I think I'd start from birth if I had another child now.  

Answer 5

You arent showing them these images the broadcasters are and it is very effective i believe...you are not horrible.

Answer 6

h**l NO

The sooner kids learn about the dangers of smoking, drinking, drugs etc, the better -

this will allow them to make INFORMED choices when faced with peer and media pressure during their teenage years- and we all know how much of *that* there is at the moment.

The 5 year old i would probably shield a little don't want to be giving him nightmares - but personally think that a 9 or 10 year old should be old enough to realise that many of the "cool" things people do actually harm-full- both to themselves and others.

Sit with your 9yo and talk to him about the ads ( find a way to bring it up, or after one of these ads has been on)

Find out what he thinks about them, and what he thinks about smoking in general.  

Use this time to give him some information about the dangers.

and about how smoking is NOT cool, and that its ok to say No to things.

good luck

Answer 7

Goood start,Keep doing it smart mom.If you ask me why is that if every mom thinks like you,I dont think any of the boys or girls that are smoking these days will not exsist.

Good luck

GreatQuestion

Take care

Again :)

Answer 8

I'd say 7th or 8th grade because when I was that age my friends tried to make me do weed/alcohol/s*x. They also sold weed and I believe they don't stop smoking until 11th grade-college years. Teens rarely smoke they do weed instead. Sad but true.

Answer 9

I think kids are alot smarter than we give them credit for and if they're watching those ads then they would already know what harm smoking can do.

I know two kids aged 7 & 8 who harass thier grandma to quit as they don't want her to die from smoking, so she hides from them when she smokes. To me this proves the ads are effective, maybe not to the smokers but the younger generation anyway.

I don't think your mean mum by letting them see the ads as they are kinda hard to avoid, I think some of the drinkdriving/speeding ads are much worse.

Answer 10

Rogue, I've a near 3yo who sees those ads and tells people off for smoking. I just got to be careful who he tells off now.

I think it's effective, and if your mean I hate to see what they think about me.

All my kids know exactly how I feel on smoking & they are a chip off the old block. ;)

And GOOD on you for quitting!! I bet the kids were proud of you.

Answer 11

I don't think it's right to show them such graphic images but it is never too soon to tell them how dangerous smoking is and that it can kill you.