Aug 3, 2006 8:56 pm US/Eastern
Computer Software Hopes To Curb Teens From Smoking
Shows Simulated Picture Of What Teens Will Look Like If They Smoke
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
Twenty-three percent of teens smoke today, despite all the health warnings.
Every day, 6,000 kids under the age of 18 will begin smoking. And once they've started it's hard to stop.
Anti-smoking programs try to shock kids by showing them pictures of what happens inside of the body to their lungs, but now, a computer software gives them a realistic picture of what it can do to the outside.
The software, developed by the Canadian company Aprilage, takes a current photograph and ages it, showing teens what they will look like if they smoke a pack of cigarettes a day.
17-year old Matthew Cody, smoking since he's nine, had this reaction to seeing himself at age 72: "I was shocked how it affects your appearance so much."
The program also shows you how much better you'd look at the same age if you didn't smoke.
"They are at an age where they put a lot of emphasis on looks," says Jessica Arsenault of the American Lung Association. Arsenault goes into school to educate kids on the dangers of smoking. She says this program may get through to image conscious teens. "The discoloration of the face, the wrinkles, the sagging all makes for somewhat of an ugly picture."
18-year old Cassandra Forte did not like what she saw, "I don't want to look like that when I'm 70."
And 16-year old Taylor Alexander agrees, "Just looking at it, it's disgusting."
Experts say the key is prevention - reaching kids before they ever pick up a cigarette.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
