Smoking: Children and Young People
Passive smoking is especially harmful for children as they have less well-developed airways, lungs and immune systems.
Children who live in a household where at least 1 person smokes are more likely to develop:
• asthma
• chest infections – like pneumonia and bronchitis
• meningitis
• ear infections
• coughs and colds
Children are particularly vulnerable in the family car where second-hand smoke can reach hazardous levels even with the windows open.
To protect children, smoking in cars and other vehicles carrying children was banned in 2015. It is against the law to smoke in a private vehicle if there's a young person under 18 present.
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