Over 50 per cent of teenagers in India smoke cigarettes because they believe it helps reduce stress, and because smoking makes them appear "cool" among their peers, finds a survey. The survey showed that over 52 per cent teenagers believed that smoking helps increase concentration levels.

While nearly 90 per cent of teenagers said they would continue smoking if there is no resistance from their parents, over 80 per cent teenagers noted that it is okay to experiment with smoking at least once. "Smoking is plaguing the society and we are moving into an era where it is acceptable for younger age groups to begin smoking and engage in other risky behaviour," Samir Parikh, Director (Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences) at Fortis Healthcare said in a statement on Monday.