Youth Tobacco Addiction: The Silent Epidemic Stealing Futures

I was walking through the narrow alleys of Basantapur, one of the most vibrant, culturally rich, and historic areas of Kathmandu, Nepal, when my eyes caught a disturbing scene: a group of boys, no older than 14, sharing a single cigarette. Their faces still soft with youth, yet their actions spoke of an addiction already taking root. This wasn’t just a puff of smoke but a fog settling over their futures.

The Alarming Reality of Youth Tobacco Addiction

This practice isn’t isolated. Across Nepal, adolescents are falling prey to tobacco addiction at alarming rates. A 2019 survey revealed that 28% of Nepalis aged 15-69 use tobacco. In 2020, 68 out of 2,800 hospitalized cases of E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) were under 18 years old. Despite laws prohibiting minors from buying tobacco, access remains shockingly easy.

Those boys should’ve been chasing dreams, not cigarettes. Yet, there they were: tobacco already gripping their health, ambitions, and hope. What alarmed me most wasn’t the act itself, but their casual acceptance. No guilt, only confidence. They saw smoking as a regular part of growing up.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath lies a more profound crisis: misinformation, peer pressure, familial habits, and aggressive tobacco industry marketing.

How Big Tobacco Targets the Young Generation

Globally, over 17% of youth use tobacco, including 37 million children aged 13-15 (Global Tobacco Youth Survey Report). The industry thrives by hooking young users early, ensuring lifelong customers. Their tactics?

• Flavored products that appeal to teens
• Social media glamorization from TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube challenges
• Stealth marketing by sponsoring music festivals and fashion shows
• Disguised e-cigarettes, designed like USB drives, pens

Research by the U.S. Surgeon General (2012) confirms that adolescents are more likely to get addicted, with many struggling to quit for life. Worse, e-cigarette use quadruples the chance of transitioning to traditional cigarettes (National Academies of Sciences, 2018).

A Sister’s Fear: Will My Brothers Be Next?

As a sister to two teenage brothers, my fear is constant. I instinctively check for smoke whenever they return from school or a walk. It’s not the best approach, but it’s my way of protecting them.

Recently, I visited my old school, Janapremi World School, Bhaktapur, not as a student, but as a public health advocate conducting anti-tobacco awareness sessions. Standing before those bright faces, I remembered friends who started smoking, lost their way, and dropped out. Schools lost scholars. Society lost its future.

When I asked students if they knew about vaping, hookahs, or e-cigarettes, every hand went up. Many even explained how “vaping isn’t smoking,” some with parents who mistakenly believe it’s harmless.

Breaking the Cycle: Awareness, Education, Action

This generation is inheriting myths. It’s our duty to debunk them. The only solution? Awareness, education, and action.

Since February 2025, Nepal Health Corps (NHC)—a youth-led organization—has been running a Nationwide Anti-Tobacco Campaign in collaboration with the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA). With WHO’s powerful message, “Be smart, don’t start,” we’re educating Grades 6-12 students on the dangers of smoking, vaping, and smokeless tobacco.

How the Campaign Works:

• Interactive sessions on tobacco’s health effects
• Peer-led advocacy from trained nursing/medical students
• Social media engagement using custom posters and awareness drives
• Data collection on youth tobacco trends

Phase 1 (Feb–July 2025) aims to reach 10,000+ students. Schools welcome us, one teacher admitted, “We just caught two students smoking yesterday. This education is missing in curricula.”

The Power of Prevention: Let’s Make Tobacco Uncool

Smoke-free spaces aren’t just about bans, they’re about shifting perceptions. Through media, storytelling, and youth mobilization, we’re making tobacco irrelevant, uncool, and unwanted.

Join the Fight Against Youth Tobacco Addiction

• Share real stories.
• Educate the next generation.
• Support anti-tobacco campaigns.

Together, we can clear the fog and give youth back their futures.