WASHINGTON – Smoking is as bad for you as ever, and the FDA wants teens to know it.
As Food and Drug Administration’s first campaign to prevent youth tobacco use, “The Real Cost” targets the 10 million young people ages 12-17 who are open to trying smoking or who have already smoked between one puff and 99 cigarettes in their lifetime. These youths share important characteristics that put them at risk for tobacco use, the FDA said. They are more likely to live chaotic, stressful lives due to factors such as socioeconomic conditions; be exposed to smoking by friends and family; and use tobacco as a coping mechanism or a way to exert control or independence. Additionally, many at-risk youths who experiment with cigarettes do not consider themselves smokers, do not believe they will become addicted, and are not particularly interested in the topic of tobacco use. We want to make these teens hyperconscious of the risk from every cigarette by highlighting consequences that young people are concerned about, such as loss of control due to addiction and health effects like tooth loss and skin damage.
The ads depict wrinkled skin on teen faces.
User fees collected from the tobacco industry fund all FDA’s tobacco-related activities, including educating the public about the harms of tobacco use.