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NEWS > HEALTH > CHAIN SMOKING QUICKLY BECOMING EPIDEMIC IN TODDLERS
CHAIN SMOKING QUICKLY BECOMING EPIDEMIC IN TODDLERS
September 15 2011
Jakarta, Indonesia – When the video of a smoking toddler went viral last year many people were disgusted and many more were amused. No one, of course, wanted to see a two-year old lighting up cigarettes but there was no debating that the video itself was fairly entertaining. After all, it was a toddler smoking cigarettes.
The amusement regarding the video quickly subsided when people realized that it was real, that the boy depicted in the video was not only smoking but was actually a chain smoker. Eventually the attention and uproar forced his parents to get him treatment and now Aldi is free from cancer sticks. Unfortunately, his situation was only the tip of a growing epidemic not only in Indonesia but around the world as smokers start earlier and earlier.
“In Indonesia it is a particular problem. More than a third of children in that country start smoking before the age of ten and the ages are getting lower every year. Things aren’t much better in the rest of the world, but the rates aren’t plummeting as quickly in other nations,” said an insider with the Indonesian government. “We realize that this is an issue and is going to be a growing issue going forward. We have encountered many cases in the last year with young children smoking, many of them hanging out on street corners, and also yelling at passer bys sometimes for no reason at all. Aside from the health concerns, this has a detrimental effect on Indonesian society as a whole.”
Indonesia has no age limits in respect to purchasing cigarettes, nor does it have any laws restricting advertising to young children.
“We have seen the medical evidence, that this can cause issues to developing lungs and that is a concern to be certain. The biggest concern that we do have, though, is that these young children will cause more problems. It has been well documented that cigarette smoking makes people think they are cool and tough and that has started to become an issue here,” continued the insider. “That is not the attitude we want young people growing up with, and we certainly don’t want toddlers out at all times of the night smoking and drinking and causing problems. This would not be good for anyone, not just the children but ordinary people who simply want to live their lives and not be bothered by gangs of children and toddlers. This is our priority.”
Globally, the average age of smokers has dropped in recent years though the volume has also decreased.
“This is going to be a major concern in the developing world going forward. Cigarette 
companies have seen revenues in the West drop dramatically in recent years because of new laws and restrictions on smoking and so they are pursuing other opportunities, other places to sell, and that means looking to these countries. And the younger you start them, the longer they will stay addicted,” said Scrape TV Health analyst Rebecca Phelps. “It’s great for business and for investors, but not so much for the health of the individuals involved. They aren’t really benefiting from starting early, there is no evidence that doing so gets your lungs used to the toxins and steels your body from cancer, even when you start at two-years old.”
Aldi, the boy in the original video, has reportedly had difficulties in staying smoke-free.
Lauren Hebert, Health Correspondent
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