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Smoking Toddler Kicked Habit, But Thousands More Addicted (910l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet Page 2

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Smoking Toddler Kicked Habit, But Thousands More Addicted (910L)

Notes on my thoughts,

When Aldi's smoking video went viral, local government officials reached out to

reactions and questions as I

help, paying his way to the capital city of Jakarta where he received five weeks

read:

of intensive treatment with the National Commission for Child Protection. Aldi

had to quit cold turkey, and his mother says he threw terrible tantrums. The

nicotine withdrawal must have been brutal for the little guy. But he got through

it and started play therapy, where he could focus on just being a kid.

Sadly, Aldi's not the only smoking kid in Indonesia. The south Asian country has

one of the worst problems with child smokers in the world. Government figures

estimate that 25 percent of kids over the age of 3 have tried cigarettes and 3

percent are regular smokers. That means some kids are lighting up before they

even start school.

My team had no trouble finding smoking kids in Jakarta. We came across a

group sitting near a river bank enjoying an after school cigarette break. One of

the kids, 9-year-old Ipan, has been smoking for a year. "I feel good when I

smoke", he told me. Another child, 5-year-old Cipto, says his mother smokes

with him.

So why is this happening? Mainly because of a lack of regulation. While I was

doing research for this story, one of my contacts described Indonesia as the

"Wild West" of tobacco regulation. There are virtually no restrictions on

cigarette advertising on TV, radio, in print or on billboards. Tobacco companies

sponsor all kinds of cool things believed to appeal to kids and teens, from

sporting events to music concerts. Cigarettes are cheap — about $1 per pack —

and easy to buy. We saw a 10-year-old walk right into a store and simply buy

them, no questions asked.

The largest tobacco company in Indonesia is American-owned Philip Morris.

For this story I spoke with their External Communications Director, Anne

Edwards, about the problem. She said Philip Morris doesn't want kids to smoke,

they only want to lure adult smokers from their competitors. She also said that

the company supports stronger regulations and restrictions in Indonesia. She

seemed genuinely disturbed by the footage I showed her.

For its part, the Indonesian government passed a health law in 2009, with some

good elements of tobacco control. But a year later, the measures haven't been

implemented yet. Aldi continues to be smoke free, though he's gained a

whopping 13 pounds since quitting. He still has cravings, but is managing them.

NBC News. Smoking toddler kicked habit, but thousands more addicted. Correspondent‟s

Window. Nov. 2010. Available at: . Retrieved January 23, 2012.

Smoking Toddler Kicked Habit, But Thousands More Addicted (910l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet Page 2