Britain sees huge drop in underage smoking and drinking - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Zukriuchen;45517538]i'm not saying that's not the case, but the people who smoked are also playing more games now, or using their computers and phones more[/QUOTE] People who are addicted to smoking won't decide to pass up a cigarette because they don't want to spend 5 minutes away from their phone/computer. [editline]27th July 2014[/editline] I do think that the rationale of kids having more to do nowadays is a solid one though, just not for the 'don't want to get ash on my devices' reasons stated. In 2003 it was rare for students to have access to a computer/internet in the first place, so people tended to go outside more, hang around parks drinking, smoking etc because they had literally nothing else to do. Nowdays they'll just boot up Fifa on the XBOX and play online with their friends.

[QUOTE=Noss;45517607]People who are addicted to smoking won't decide to pass up a cigarette because they don't want to spend 5 minutes away from their phone/computer.[/QUOTE] that's true, but you're less likely to start smoking

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;45516660]wait, let me get this straight - One of the most unspoiled, beautiful and yet utterly accessible wildernesses on the planet - Some of the most liberal land use policies in the world, almost all non-destructive outdoor activities legal almost everywhere - Mild tempatures, rarely never gets too hot or too cold to endanger human health - Pretty much everything within walking distance[sp](canadian standards for walking distance)[/sp] - Some of the largest concentrations of iron age stonework and artifacts in Europe, if you're into historical crap = [t]http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-smithicide.gif[/t] Maybe this is just because Canada is basically structured like -City -> 1000~ kilometers of empty wilderness where you die from exposure-, but I feel like you'd need to be a terribly boring person to not be able to find anything to do, at least from the outdoor activity standpoint[/QUOTE] to be fair, castles and ancient buildings might be extremely blase by the time you're 15 or whatever, depending on where you grew up. i grew up nextdoor to the cathedral in Gloucester where they filmed Harry Potter and went past or through it ever weekend or so, so those kinds of buildings are extremely dull to me by now. and if you're in certain parts of England it might even be that there are big famous castles every which way you go, and that just gets somewhat tiring for a teenager

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;45516660]wait, let me get this straight - One of the most unspoiled, beautiful and yet utterly accessible wildernesses on the planet - Some of the most liberal land use policies in the world, almost all non-destructive outdoor activities legal almost everywhere - Mild tempatures, rarely never gets too hot or too cold to endanger human health - Pretty much everything within walking distance[sp](canadian standards for walking distance)[/sp] - Some of the largest concentrations of iron age stonework and artifacts in Europe, if you're into historical crap = [t]http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-smithicide.gif[/t] Maybe this is just because Canada is basically structured like -City -> 1000~ kilometers of empty wilderness where you die from exposure-, but I feel like you'd need to be a terribly boring person to not be able to find anything to do, at least from the outdoor activity standpoint[/QUOTE] Museums and castles do not appeal to the majority of children. Like the above poster said, we're brought up around castles, old buildings etc. It isn't a novelty by the time you've become a teenager. An American might visit a 400 year old pub and think it's amazing, meanwhile a Brit would go in and say "£4.30 for a pint is a bit steep isn't it?"

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;45516660]- Mild tempatures, rarely never gets too hot or too cold to endanger human health[/QUOTE] shoulda said "canadian standards" for this too

i remember when it was only the cool clique kids who smoked and drank now i see pictures on facebook of the 'uncool' kids from my old school getting wasted with old communist texts and shit there hath been a schism

I blame videogames.

The other day I learned that drinking beer in the park is frowned upon in the UK.

[QUOTE=Noss;45517840]Museums and castles do not appeal to the majority of children. Like the above poster said, we're brought up around castles, old buildings etc. It isn't a novelty by the time you've become a teenager. An American might visit a 400 year old pub and think it's amazing, meanwhile a Brit would go in and say "£4.30 for a pint is a bit steep isn't it?"[/QUOTE] Where are you guys getting this castle/museum stuff from, it was the last point on the list :| My point still stands about outdoor activities though, UK, especially Scotland, and especially (again) the highlands has absolutely prime outdoor areas and some of the most free land usage laws in the industrialized world Not to mention you can do it all without being killed by bears or having to flee the wilderness because -50C weather decided to roll in on your hiking trip

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;45515275]Good, at least it's demonstrated that kids are making smart life choices.[/QUOTE] Underage drinking was one of the best choices I ever made.

[QUOTE=BCell;45515319]How about kids are more into playing videogames than smoking. Underage Drinking might still be occuring but majority of gamers nowadays dont smoke due to the fact that you need all fingers on the keyboard and mouse and smoking will cause a distraction to your hands. You would not want to smoke infront of a computer. Do you know what cigerette ash can do to your computer? Plus a cigerette burn mark on a laptop is certainly unsightly[/QUOTE] You don't need your hands to smoke

[QUOTE=Stopper;45518238]The other day I learned that drinking beer in the park is frowned upon in the UK.[/QUOTE] Drinking in public spaces is pretty frowned down upon in the UK in general. A few parks do have fines for doing it, understandable for the most part really. You don't want a bunch of rowdy chavs off their tits on cheap lagers annoying the locals after all.

Since this was an online "anonymous" survey. It may actually be a reflection of how much teens in the UK don't think their privacy is secure, and don't feel like answering honestly. UK is a bit cookoo for internet control, I'd understand teens reacting to it via distrust.

[QUOTE=Noss;45517413]Well, it's a true generalisation. The kids here who smoked tended to either be the people who went out all the time and/or the chavs. The people who sat inside playing WoW all the time did not tend to be among those who smoked. Most people's parents would flip their shit if their child was smoking inside the home. I guarantee you nobody has had the line of thought: "We'll, I'd better not start smoking or I might damage my keyboard!"[/QUOTE] I'd put money on Call of Duty being responsible for a significant part of this reduction, seeing how it made gaming acceptable to the 'cool kid/chav' demographic who otherwise would've contributed.

[QUOTE=raptorkid;45518946]I'd put money on Call of Duty being responsible for a significant part of this reduction, seeing how it made gaming acceptable to the 'cool kid/chav' demographic who otherwise would've contributed.[/QUOTE] Yup, if you played games prior to like 2006 you were considered a nerd, now if you don't have CoD/FIFA you're the weird one.

[QUOTE=J!NX;45518452]You don't need your hands to smoke[/QUOTE] Well you need to puff out the smoke and adjust the cigerettes. I for one have a computer etiquette. Never smoke or eat or drink infront of your computer. Anyways, less people smoke, the cleaner our air would be. By 1% . The drop in Underage drinking is probably because alcholic beverages are more expensive today and you are better off buying a Coke than a beer

[QUOTE=BCell;45519549]Well you need to puff out the smoke and adjust the cigerettes. I for one have a computer etiquette. Never smoke or eat or drink infront of your computer. Anyways, less people smoke, the cleaner our air would be. By 1% .[/QUOTE] I remember when i had a computer in a room where people smoked also I didn't care as much as I do now for dusting it out you'd think it had cancer

Computers have health too you know. the smoke and ash will build up inside the hardware eventually. Fortunately for computers, you can always open it's inside and clean off the dust but unfortunately for us humans, we can't open up our chest and clean our lungs and liver from the prolong period of smoking and drinking.

[QUOTE=BCell;45519605]Computers have health too you know. the smoke and ash will build up inside the hardware eventually. Fortunately for computers, you can always open it's inside and clean off the dust but unfortunately for us humans, we can't open up our chest and clean our lungs and liver from the prolong period of smoking and drinking.[/QUOTE] that was inspiring thank you

[QUOTE=BCell;45519605]Computers have health too you know. the smoke and ash will build up inside the hardware eventually. Fortunately for computers, you can always open it's inside and clean off the dust but unfortunately for us humans, we can't open up our chest and clean our lungs and liver from the prolong period of smoking and drinking.[/QUOTE] the thing that amuses me the most about your posts is that you seem to think that the people who can afford a gaming PC are the people that smoke and drink underage. Yes the two areas may overlap slightly, but 90%+ of the people who smoke and drink underage are working class. I know that anecdotal evidence isn't worth shit, but I had kids at my school smoking from age 11, and had friends of mine who used to go and get so pissed they were paralytic at age 13.

in what world do gamers not smoke? i always find people who take smoke breaks in cs:go lol [editline]28th July 2014[/editline] but yeah people who smoke a lot under age generally won't really be too minted, but they definitely still play games as much as any other teenager and be honest, most teenagers in the UK don't really care for PC gaming as much as they do in eastern europe/NA. last gen consoles are cheap as fuck

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;45515275]Good, at least it's demonstrated that kids are making smart life choices.[/QUOTE] I'm sure someone's making a thread about a couple of bored teens brutally slaughtered two random innocent civilians because they had nothing better to do [I]this instant.[/I] Sure, Britain's doing better, but here lately, if someone gets murdered and it ends up on the news, it's not really news.

Pussies don't know what they are missing out on. Bottle of frosty jacks at the park was all we needed on a Friday night.

[QUOTE=Boss;45521426]Pussies don't know what they are missing out on. Bottle of frosty jacks at the park was all we needed on a Friday night.[/QUOTE] when you turn 18 there's something depressing about knowing you'll never drink in a park again

There's no way it's lowered where I live, the only thing anyone does around here is drink because there's fuck all else to do.

It's probably because everyone does ket now

[QUOTE=itisjuly;45515276]Wearing a kilt isn't fun enough anymore? Damn kids.[/QUOTE] It's probably more the fact that you can be challenged at any time to a sword duel as part of a great game that only ends in decapitation with one man left standing, I'd say. Puts a man under all kinds of pressure, which drinking alleviates