A recent report shows that 5% of 10th graders smoked versus 18% at one point in the 1990s. And no, these sophomores didn’t use hypnosis to quit smoking.
Fewer teens started smoking because of higher tobacco taxes.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0712-kids-wellbeing-20130712,0,7542363.story
On a related note, I’ve read about factors that influence teens to behave in unhealthy ways.
Some anti-drug campaigns decrease drug usage. But some of the campaigns can actually increase drug usage. Sounds strange, right?
Here’s the explanation. Some anti-drug campaign emphasizes how common drugs are and say that so many teens are using it. But to the teen viewer, the subconscious message they’re receiving is that everyone’s doing drugs, so drug usage is normal. And most teens want to be normal.
Crafting the right message for adults is tricky. Crafting the right message for teens is even tougher. Why?
I believe it’s because well-meaning adults have forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager. The adults try to use logic, but teens use both logic and emotion to make decisions. An effective message blends logic with emotion, and often a little more on the emotion.