Advertisement and Culture

I was given an ad that encourages parents to take action about their kids or the youth in general and their smoking habits. 

The advertisement is clearly giving parents that are struggling with understanding the teenagers tendency to smoke cigarettes,  advice. 

Although the picture of the ad gives off an image of calmness and understanding, of patience and consideration , the urgency hovers beneath the letters that talk about how communicating with your kids will make them talk, perhaps even open up.

Seeing an ad like that tells me that there definitely have to be some issues in our society that are critical enough for someone to make the effort of creating an ad for that, a help line and address to contact for help and advice . Smoking is a serious health issue if neglected and used to the point were addiction is inherent.

The problem is that many parents prefer to blame "society" and the "media" , whereas their kids and the parents are society themselves and all the other parents blaming them are being blamed as well. The media is just a reflection of society, a mere copy that enhances its flaws. 

When culture comes into this, its not as much religion but more the general laws of society that inflict smoking and turn it into a trend, rather than giving it the respect and avoidance it should have. 

It is used as a way to bond with certain cliques or communities, a way to find a "secure" place of belongingness and a few quick smokes behind a building to impress some friends can quickly turn into a life long habit that has permanent health and mental consequences.

However, instead of blaming anything and anyone but themselves, parents should take a step back and reflect on their parenting as well as the type of image they're conveying to their children or the youth in general. At the end of the day, its the adults who teenagers look up to and thus act on what they see. 

Often when suffering from mental illnesses or recent traumatic events, instead of opening up to someone trustworthy or using a healthy way to cope, many teenagers grab the cigarette because its the easiest way to relax and perhaps forget , for a few moments. So if your child feels the need to turn to a potential drug, rather than you , then maybe it is the parent who is to blame. The advertisement tries to convey that, subtly by suggesting that the parent or adult may spend some quality time with the affected teenager to really discuss what triggers their smoking habits and form a stronger bond. The picture of the adult with the little child in a boat, fishing amongst a calm sea is depicting the very idea of putting in some effort to try and understand the youth and their issues better.  Try your best to help them quit and find a better way to deal with whatever issues theyre dealing with. 

Teenagers are empowered , as the blame of them being corrupted is somewhat lifted off them and shifted to the adults.