Kids Count!

Kids are the voice of tomorrow and we can change the future!  Do you have a friend who's parents smoke?  If you asked them if they wanted their kids to smoke, what do you think they would say?  I've asked, and I can tell you the answer has always been "NO!" 

Smoking is a hard habit to break, but an easy one to never start.  Most smokers begin smoking as kids.  In fact, tobacco companies spend billions of dollars (yes, that's BILLIONS - with a "B") marketing to teens with the intention of having them become their future customers.  They have gotten creative by using dessert flavored nicotine, celebrity glamour, and technology. Now smoking is on the rise again, and has tripled in the last two years alone!  This site helps kids learn the truth about the dangers of tobacco-use, and can help kids see that the only thing cool about smoking is never to start!

You can be the voice that makes a difference.  Spread the word so we can create smoke-free future generations.  Help kids to Say "NO!" to smoking. Share this site with your friends and then take the COOL KATS PLEDGE.  I can even come speak at your school's D.A.R.E. program to share my book and answer questions your friends may have about smoking.

Why Do Kids Smoke?

Almost 70% of adult smokers began smoking before they turned 18. Most smokers try their first cigarette around the age of 11, and many are addicted by the time they turn 14.  So why do kids start smoking in the first place?   
  • Their parents are smokers.
  • Peer pressure – their friends encourage them to try cigarettes, and to keep smoking.
  • They see smoking as a way of rebelling and showing independence.
  • They think that everyone else is smoking, and that they should, too.
  • Tobacco advertising targets teenagers.
The majority of children in elementary school and the early part of middle school have never tried a cigarette. Most will tell you that they will never smoke cigarettes. But as they get older, some will become more open to the idea of smoking.

Cigarette companies shape their advertising campaigns to portray smokers as cool, sexy, independent, fun, attractive, and living on the edge – images that are appealing to many teens. As a result, they try smoking and many get hooked. Only 5% of high-school-age smokers believe they'll still be smoking 5 years after graduation but they don't understand how difficult quitting can be. Research shows that after 8 years, 75% of those smokers will still be using some form of tobacco.

Get the book. Share the word. Help kids.

Get your copy today and help get the news out about the dangers of tobacco use! Proceeds from the book are used to fund free educational readings and book donations to kids in high-risk areas.  That's right, your book purchase helps spread the word to the world!
WANT TO SEE THE BOOK? Click Here.

 Fast Facts About Kids & Smoking:

  1. Each day 3,000 children smoke their first cigarette.
  2. Tobacco use primarily begins in early adolescence.
  3. Of the 3,000 teens who started smoking today, nearly 1,000 will eventually die as a result from smoking.
  4. A person who starts smoking at age 13 will have a more difficult time quitting, has more health-related problems and probably will die earlier.
  5. Kids who smoke experience changes in the lungs and reduced lung growth, and they risk not achieving normal lung function as an adult.
  6. If your best friend's smoke, then you are 13 times more likely to smoke than if your friends did not smoke.
  7. More than 90 percent of adult smokers started when they were teens.
  8. Kids who have two parents who smoke are twice as likely to smoke.

Contact Us

I'd love to hear from you!  Like us on Facebook, email me, or leave a comment on our BLOG page.  Let me know how you're helping to spread the news about the dangers of tobacco use.  Send me a video of you taking the Cool K.A.T.S. Pledge. 

Looking forward to hearing from my favorite Cool KATS!

xoxo - Hannah

Take Our Poll

Answer the question and then see how you compare to other kids by clicking the "view results" button at the bottom of the poll.

No One is Replaceable!

Think Vapor e-cigs are safe...?

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Vapors and e-cigarettes are responsible for tripling the teenage smoking rate in the last three years alone. They are not regulated or held to the same restrictions as other tobacco products.  In short, they are running unchecked and creating an entirely new generation of nicotine addicted smokers.

That's one of the reasons we created the book "Cool K.A.T.S. Don't Smoke".  It specifically addresses the lies tobacco companies are telling kids in order to make "technology-based" tobacco look cool. Now kids are learning how to be savvy and see through the lies that would otherwise have them addicted to nicotine.

5 FAST FACTS every parent should know:

Vape pens, also known as e-cigarettes, contain atomizers that heat the liquid (e-juice). Inhaling and exhaling this vapor through the use of a vape pen or other device is known as vaping. Because the vapor dissipates quickly and there is often little to no smell, teens are more open about where they vape.This Vaping & E-Cigarette Fact Sheet gives more detail on these pens and how they work.
  • JUUL (the “iPhone of vape pens”) looks like a USB drive. They are pocket-sized vaporizers that can be charged in tablets at home or in school, making them difficult to identify as vape pens.
  • “Just flavoring” is NOT “just flavoring.”  Because the e-cigarette industry is not yet regulated, ingredients don’t have to be listed — as a result many “hidden” chemicals found in flavored vaping liquids are potentially harmful and include known carcinogens and often nicotine.
  • Marijuana–in highly concentrated forms–can be added to vape pens. Marijuana (in various forms) can be inhaled through vape pens. When added as hash oil, THC (the addictive ingredient in marijuana) can reach concentration levels of 90% as compared with 20% concentrations from a typical marijuana plant. At such high levels, there is a much greater likelihood of the user experiencing adverse effects.
  • E-cigarettes are NOT a non-addictive alternative to cigarettes.  More than 50% of first-time users (in 2018) between ages 12 and 17 had never before smoked cigarettes. Yet studies show that 30% of teen e-cigarette users are more likely to start smoking cigarettes within 6 months.