Every day, thousands of young people try their first cigarette, and new non-combustible products are making it easier for kids to experiment with tobacco.

Around 3,200 young people try a cigarette for the first time each day, and nearly 2,100 become daily smokers. And these statistics do not even include the young people who try other forms of tobacco every day—from cigars, cigarillos and hookah, to new and emerging non-combustible products that deliver tobacco in the form of mints, breath strips and toothpicks—which make it easier to experiment before potentially transitioning to smoking.

Behind these numbers are real kids—our daughters, sons, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, friends and neighbors. No parent wants their child to use tobacco, but despite the best intentions, it happens far too often. And when it does, the outcome can be tragic. One-third of all youth smokers will eventually die from a disease caused by tobacco, such as cancer or heart disease. Many more will live lives that have been compromised by the effects of tobacco.

Despite restrictions on tobacco advertising to youth, young people are still exposed to tobacco messaging on a daily basis—in media, at stores and online—and this drives their brand preferences. The three most heavily advertised cigarette brands —Marlboro, Newport and Camel—remain the most popular among young people.