A nine-year-old boy has asked for help from his local NHS trust to help him quit smoking.

The unnamed youngster first tried a cigarette at school, where he wanted to "fit in" and look cool, but he became addicted. After realising the health dangers, he called the Help2Quit service, a free stop smoking service which is run by Shropshire Community NHS trust. Experts warn that under-age smokers face terrible health problems in later life and they have noticed a new trend in children turning for help from professionals to quit. Pat Thomas, service manager of Help2Quit said: "We have trained and worked very closely with, school nurses to support education for school-age children.

 

When smoking is portrayed on television and in movies as cool and glamorous, it is tempting for the young and impressionable to copy their heroes.

 

More young people start smoking every day and peer pressure from friends to comply with what is trendy is very high.

 

Despite the Government's legal age for smoking is 18 years old, over 200 children, aged between 12-17 in the West Midlands have asked for support, according to Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust's Stop Smoking Service.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/10777305/Nine-year-old-asks-for-NHS-help-to-quit-smoking.html

 

; ( soo sad, soo many young kids smoking, jesus ive watched videos of a 2 year old smoking and the dad laughing, same with another kid think he was about 6, both of them are smoking 40 cigs a day, horrendous.

Isn't that how the most of us started?

 

I started in school. This 9 year old is smarter than I was...I continued for 35 years. Sometimes I asked myself if I would have continued to smoke if I would have known then..what I know now. Well Let's not go there!

Yep, that 9-year-old is definitely smarter than I was... I started experimenting with cigs when I was somewhere around 11 or 12, and I never even thought of how bad they were for me... how sad to hear that kids are already addicted at such a young age. :(

How does this 9 year old get the cigarettes?  I work 40 hours a week and I can't afford to smoke... stealing from parents?  

 

Breaks my heart :(

I've just watched a video on facebook of a man teaching his 2 or 3 year old how to smoke, horrific, tried to put it here but can't seem to upload videos, driving me bonkers trying!

I've just watched a video on facebook of a man teaching his 2 or 3 year old how to smoke, horrific, tried to put it here but can't seem to upload videos, driving me bonkers trying!

 

I think some people should not be allowed children 

I took my first cig age 9. By 13 I was smoking regularly at home in my bedroom after school, I stole my mums. 

 

I am horrified reading about qa 2 year old, good grief, that's child abuse!!

I found the video with the man teaching his infant to smoke. I am still in shock.

 

(I can copy and post the video here but am not sure it would be appropriate or moral)

 

But on the other hand, watching that video has seriously reinforced my quit.

I hope those two adults were tossed in jail.  As disgusting as this is, in 3rd world countries, big tobacco are giving away cigarettes to children not much older than the little kid in the video.

http://quittrainblog.com/2014/03/05/smoking-epidemic-in-indonesia-video/

Thats another one, the one I saw today was a Russian man teaching I'd say a 2 year old, far too many of them doing it, they need locking up!!

It was on the irish daily mirror facebook page.

http://quittrainblog.com/2014/03/04/how-cigarette-companies-use-free-trade-deals-to-sell-more-cigarettes-to-women-and-kids/

This breaks my heart.....

WHY would any parent want this.....it's madness....and yes lock them up......idiots....

I had no idea it was this bad.