There is a growing clamor to raise the age at which tobacco products can be bought, from 18 to 21. Helping existing smokers to quit is important, says Dr Nicolas Hopkinson, who chairs the Action on Smoking and Health campaign group, but the most vital element is to prevent young people from starting in the first place. "Smoking is a contagious habit, transmitted within peer groups," he says. To back up his case, he points to the success of raising the legal age from 16 to 18, which happened in 2007. Since then, the proportion of young smokers – defined as those aged 16 to 24 – has fallen from more than one in four in 2007 to less than one in five now. Research suggests two-thirds of smokers take up the habit in their teenage years. Campaigners believe by closing the door on this older teenage market they can deal a fatal blow to the tobacco industry.

However, it is impossible to say whether that is directly linked to changing the age at which tobacco products can be bought. In the past 12 years, there has been lots of anti-smoking legislation, including: a ban on smoking in public places, restrictions on displays in shops, the introduction of graphic images on packs warning of the dangers of smoking. All have had a role in the overall decline in smoking.

But another factor – some argue even more important than any legislation that has been introduced – has been the rise in e-cigarettes use. Data suggest nearly a third of ex-smokers have been or still are vapers. Public Health England says e-cigarettes are now the most common quit aid and are helping give the nation a "fighting chance" to become smoke-free – classed as having less than 5% of people smoking. But even as arguments over what to do next on smoking develop, don't forget there could be another factor in all this – the impact of “Generation Sensible”. All the evidence suggests young people are increasingly shunning the unhealthy behaviors of previous generations. Not only are they less likely to smoke, they drink less, take drugs less and socialize less. The reason? Research suggests they have exchanged the traditional vices for social media and gaming. Could that be the thing that stubs out smoking?

Disponível em: <http://www.bbc.com/news>. Acesso em: set. 2019. Adaptado.