According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), about 23% of students below high school level in Uttar Pradesh start smoking cigarettes.

The surprising thing is that the percentage of girls is 24%, while that of boys is 22%. That means, every fourth girl going to school consumes tobacco in some form or the other. Many teenage girls start smoking at the age of 13-14 years.

There are many social and mental reasons behind this trend. Social pressure means the desire to look fit among friends or join a group. When friends smoke cigarettes, others also start considering it cool.

If any member of the house smokes, it has a deep impact on the children. Apart from this, many teenage girls believe that smoking cigarettes will make them look more adult.

WHO report shows that one out of every three students in UP consumes tobacco in some form or the other.

Interestingly, girls are ahead of boys in trying to quit tobacco. About 40% of teenage girls admit that they want to get out of this addiction.

Experts say that starting smoking at such a young age has a deep impact on both the body and mind. Due to this, lung function decreases, hormonal changes are affected, and the risk of serious diseases in future increases manifold.