The Tobacco Products Act (1998) preventing teenagers from purchasing cigarettes over the counter appear futile as a demoralising 280,000 Australian teens admit to smoking.

When surveyed, many teenagers often confess that their smoking habits are led by peer pressure. “I started smoking so that I could perform smoke tricks…to look cool,” eighteen year old Gin Gin (QLD) man admits. But are the droopy eyes, calloused fingers and smoky odour really cool, young man? When asked if he continues to smoke to this day, the teenager continued, “I still smoke because now I can do those cool tricks. And I’m kind of addicted.” He says.

It is a worrying thought to think that teenagers all over Australia are addicted to smoking just because they believe it is cool, is it not?
And what about the age at which these teenagers begin to smoke? Another Queensland teenager speaks up. “I began smoking when I was fourteen, along with the rest of my social group.” He states. It is evident smoking is a fashion amongst young people, but do they not realise the harm they are doing to themselves?
It is a known fact that smokers are prone to many infections and diseases, examples being lung cancer and gangrene, yet Australian teenagers are willing to put their health in danger to ‘look cool’. With smoking killing over 15,000 Australians annually, it is shocking to see the number of young smokers rise each year.


The Government’s attempts to decrease the number of smokers fails miserably, despite their latest call to action of having each cigarette packet now look exactly the same. Forty-eight year old Queensland citizen puts in his point of view. “These plain packets ain’t gonna help me quit and they ain’t gonna help anybody younger than me quit either.” Take it from a man who has been smoking for over thirty years: any previous attempts to decrease the number of young smokers haven’t worked. We need something new.

At least 280,000 Australian teenagers have taken up smoking in recent years. A massive number for such tiny humans. Teenagers need to quit. Teenagers should not even begin. Why do we not stop manufacturing cigarettes all together after a certain year? Why not stop selling them to people who are not already smokers? Something must be done.

What do you all think?