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Smoking and young people

Is smoking damaging your breath.

Between 12 October and 6 December, the government consulted on proposed action to protect future generations from the harms of smoking, by creating the first smokefree generation. Read our response to the 'Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping' consultation (PDF, 208.9 KB).

Find a Smokefree Adviser

If you're under 18 and want to stop smoking, One You Kent can help you. All you need to do is:

Someone will contact you to ask your age, where you live and put you in touch with a Smokefree Adviser.

What the Smokefree Adviser will do

Your Smokefree Adviser will talk to you about the best way to help you stop smoking, either face to face or over the phone. They'll find out whether you'd rather meet in a group or have one to one support.

They will also tell you about all the free nicotine replacement products that you can use to help you quit if you're over 12 years old.

Everything you tell your Smokefree Adviser is kept private. They won't tell your parents or school unless they are worried about your or other people's safety.

You can ask or tell them anything. They are there to help, even if you're only thinking about giving up but aren't quite ready.

Signs you may be addicted to smoking

Answering yes to any of the questions below may mean you're hooked on nicotine.

  • Have you ever tried to quit smoking but couldn’t?
  • Do you smoke now because it’s hard to quit?
  • Have you ever felt like you were addicted to smoking?
  • Do you ever have strong cravings to smoke?
  • Have you ever felt like you really need a cigarette?
  • Is it hard not to smoke in places where you can't, like school?

If you have tried to stop smoking or when you have not used tobacco for a while, did you:

  • find it hard to concentrate?
  • feel more irritable?
  • feel a strong urge to smoke?
  • feel nervous, restless or anxious because you could not smoke?

Don’t worry - hundreds of people quit smoking every day.