Helping Teens Quit

The American Lung Association is committed to helping educate, intervene and prevent the use of tobacco and nicotine by the next generation. This is especially important because close to 95 percent of smokers try their first cigarette before the age of 21. Teen vaping is a public health crisis and the fight against nicotine and tobacco has become even more vital. View our programs and tools below to see how you can help. 

Kids and Smoking

There are many reasons that kids pick up tobacco products and start using nicotine, and some of them may surprise you. Find out how to talk to your teens about avoiding smoking, and what to do if they need to quit. Learn more about youth smoking.

Ending Youth Vaping

The American Lung Association works to create a tobacco-free future for all with an objective to reduce adult and youth commercial tobacco and nicotine use. National strategies to meet this goal require a multi-component comprehensive public health approach to addressing youth vaping through programmatic components inclusive of youth activism, education, policy change, prevention, intervention and cessation. Download a detailed copy of American Lung Association’s Comprehensive Approach to Ending Youth Vaping as a roadmap to help create a tobacco-free future for generations ahead. 

Local Youth Tobacco Initiatives

Across the country, teens are gathering to keep their own communities' tobacco-free. These youth leaders are working to educate their peers about the dangers of nicotine and tobacco addiction. Contact your local American Lung Association office for information on youth leadership groups and other youth tobacco initiatives near you. Call 1-800-LUNGUSA. A few notable organizations are:

• STAND AZ — Arizona
• Kick Butts Generation (KBG) — Delaware
• Reality Check — New York
• Tobacco Resistance Unit (TRU) — Pennsylvania
• Tobacco Free Rhode Island — Rhode Island
• RAZE — West Virginia
• FACT— Wisconsin