A new report published by the Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) found that one in six children between the ages of 12 and 17 smoke and that more than 90 per cent of them have never been asked for ID when purchasing cigarettes.
The report, Children, Youth and Tobacco: Behaviour, Perceptions and Public Attitudeswas unveiled this afternoon by Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney.
It shows that smokers aged between 16 and 17 spend €200 on average per week, with almost 20 per cent of this being spent on tobacco. Children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds spend more than three times as much on cigarettes as children from higher socio-economic groups.
The report also reveals the influence of family and friends on young smokers, with 78 per cent of those surveyed saying a family member also smoked and 65 per cent saying they received their first cigarette from a friend.
Cigarettes sold in packets of 10 are the preferred choice of 76 per cent of young smokers. However, 77 per cent those who bought packets of 10 cigarettes said they would give up if the price increased.
Ms Harney said it was "depressing" that poorer people spend three times as much on cigarettes as people from a higher socio-economic group.
"I am shocked that young people are spending so much money on cigarettes. I wasn't aware that young people had so much money. I am aware of the correlation between price and smoking. The Minister for Finance is also aware of this correlation with the budget coming up," she said.
Ms Harney said she would be announcing a date for the abolition of 10 packs of cigarettes in the next few days. She said tobacco vendors needed to do "an awful lot more" to establish the age of those buying cigarettes.
She also stressed the importance of getting the message across to young people that smoking was not socially acceptable.
"We need effective campaigns targeting young people and heighten awareness in schools and among families. A restaurant owner in Spain recently told me that his Irish customers go outside to smoke despite it not being the law to do so. This shows that we can change behaviour," she said.
OTC chief executive Eamonn Rossi welcomed Ms Harney's decision to abolish 10 packs of cigarettes.
Professor Sheila Greene, Director of Trinity College's Children's Research Centre, said that the continuing allure of cigarette-smoking lies in its apparent capacity to signal the young smoker's maturity, sophistication, glamour, toughness or daring.