Smoking prevention among schoolchildren
Smoking prevention should start in elementary school, because scolding a smoking teenager is practically useless. Schoolchildren smoke very actively. A sharp increase in the number of smoking students occurs by the end of school – half of the students smoke in their final year.
A teenager starts smoking to show the whole world that he has already grown up: after all, society allows adults to smoke, but does not allow children to do so. Smoking for a teenager is a gesture: "I am an adult now!" Psychologists believe that if parents do not suppress a growing child, gradually allowing him to solve more and more issues independently (who to be friends with, what music to listen to, what fashion to follow, how to get a haircut...), he will not have an acute need to prove his adulthood with a cigarette. Often, he starts smoking to appear experienced and sophisticated in the eyes of his peers.
It is important to start smoking prevention among schoolchildren as early as possible – not in the form of lectures, but in the format of discussions, role-playing games, and interactive conversations. Information should be presented in the form of specific examples and as honestly as possible. Children learn from the example of their parents and teachers, and adult smoking does not help them focus on a healthy lifestyle.
If your child smokes:
- Calmly discuss the problem with him, say that it worries you, and that you are upset by the situation.
- Find literature on the harmful effects of smoking on a teenager's health, familiarize yourself with it, and convey the information to his consciousness.
- Do not intimidate the child or provide him with unreliable information.
- Clearly state your position on smoking, without rejecting the child himself or denying him understanding and support.
- Talk about ways to overcome the bad habit.
- Pay attention to the teenager's relationships with peers, teach him to resist harmful influences and suggest how. Pay more attention to your child, be interested in his problems, successes, and hobbies. The child will reciprocate, trust you more, and listen to your opinion.
Health to you and your loved ones!
State Institution "Rassonsky RCGE", 2023