The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Saturday December 1 2007

In the article below we quoted figures which we said came from "a 2007 survey by the Information Centre (formerly the Office of National Statistics)". The survey was done in 2006 on behalf of the Information Centre for health and social care. The Information Centre was not formerly the Office for National Statistics, although the ONS did carry out earlier surveys on smoking among young people. This has been corrected.

It was his parents' disappointment that made Ross, 14, stop smoking. That and being grounded four times. He had started to smoke to stop himself from getting into fights. "Smoking was the only way I could stop for a minute and read the situation. It would stop the arguments and I could cool down," he says.

According to a new study by the Roy Castle Foundation, seen exclusively by the Guardian, 82% of smokers start before the age of 18. The Liverpool Longitudinal Smoking Study, due to be published next year, reveals that while some teenagers take up the habit to send a nicotine-stained two-fingered salute to adult authority or in the belief that it will win them friends, others start through boredom or stress.

Dr Susan Woods, one of the report's authors, says that although teenagers tend to think people smoke because it's cool or makes them look tough and mature, teen smokers themselves claim to be influenced by curiosity rather than other people. Primary school children, however, are influenced by parental smoking, which is also the biggest predictor of teen smoking.

"Some of the young people we've spoken to said they started because they were having problems at home; they smoke to relieve stress or they have anger management problems. Primary-school children associate parental smoking as a need to cope with everyday life," she says.

Until now, government resources have focused primarily on prevention, but results have not met expectations. The majority of children are aware of the harmful health effects of smoking, but are still taking it up in large numbers. A 2006 survey done on behalf of the Information Centre for health and social care shows that 9% of 11-15 year olds in England are regular smokers, a figure that has remained stable since 1999, along with 25% of 15-year-old girls smoking regularly, compared to 16% of boys.

Most of the health effects are well documented. Teen smokers are more likely to suffer from coughs and colds in the short term and in the long term, the younger the age someone takes up the habit the greater the risk of cancer and heart disease. There is also mounting evidence to suggest that teenage smokers are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression later in life.

"By the end of primary school, children are fantastically aware of the risks of smoking and what it does to their health. They talk about cancer and heart disease quite confidently. It doesn't stop them starting it, though. So it's possible they see it as classic risk-taking behaviour," says Woods.

Dr Lisa McNally, a health psychologist specialising in teen smoking, says that adults need to face up to the fact that focusing on prevention alone isn't enough. "Kids get addicted to nicotine very quickly. We need to address the addictiveness of cigarettes. As a society we are quite uncomfortable with the idea of children being addicts."

What sparse research there is into the role of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, such as patches and inhalers, in helping young people to quit is inconclusive - although some experts argue that they may help tackle the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. However, when Iain Miller, former head of tobacco control in Durham, introduced a stop-smoking scheme in schools that provided NRT along with support from school nurses, the success rate was very poor. "Only 24% of young people were successful in stopping smoking four weeks after joining the scheme, compared to the general population rate, which is 50-55%," he says.

Long-term success rates were even poorer, with only 8% managing to give up completely. "NRT can help, but only if someone is determined to give up," says Miller, who believes that children face different pressure to adults, making it difficult to stop smoking. Apart from addiction, peer pressure to continue smoking, stress from education, exams, and relationships, bullying and fear of weight gain all take their toll. But, as with adults, it is alcohol that poses the biggest challenge to staying off cigarettes. "During the week young people might be able to avoid smoking and then on Friday night they hang out with a group of friends and drink. They're then more likely to smoke," Miller says.

Two pieces of smoking legislation came into effect this year - the smoking ban was extended throughout the UK and last month the legal age for buying tobacco products rose to 18. But while adults drink in pubs and bars, young people find other places to drink and smoke. And while a ban may signal that smoking is becoming socially unacceptable, young people still see groups of adults smoking and socialising on the street.

There are also ways round the higher age limit on buying cigarettes. Early consultations by the Roy Castle Foundation suggests that under-16s are still able to buy them - they will ask adults to get cigarettes for them or take them from family members and older friends. Cost is not necessarily prohibitive either: they may buy single cigarettes from friends or buy contraband from street sellers.

Finding one solution to stop all young people smoking seems unlikely. "It's a case of finding the right hooks for the person," says Miller. "If they don't want to stop, they won't."

For image-conscious teens, early development of wrinkles and yellowing teeth could be a deterrent. A game launched in October by the Roy Castle Foundation (tinyurl.com/2kk9b7) enables people to upload a photograph of themselves on to a website and view the ageing effects of smoking on their skin, teeth and eyes.

For others, reduced fitness levels affecting their performance in sport might turn them off the habit. Even the corporate nature of the tobacco industry and knowledge about the redeployment of fertile soil for tobacco production rather than food has made some young people think twice about lighting up.

Another technique is counter-marketing - turning the idea that a smoker is someone who is independent and rebellious into one who is in reality a puppet of big business and the government.

"Smoking for young lads is often a symbol of masculinity and toughness," says McNally, "but you just need to show them the robust evidence linking smoking to impotence. You can literally see their image of smoking change before your very eyes."

Teenage tips: how to help your child give up

· If you find out your child smokes don't shout, nag or be too critical. Ross, 14, a former smoker from Liverpool who has been recruited to help his peers give up says: "If you shout at the kids, they're more likely to rebel. Try to give them a chance - help them give up."

· "Sit down with your child to find out why they are smoking," says Dr Lisa McNally.

"Ask what they are getting out of smoking; why they started and why they like it. If you can find out why they started you're in much more of a position to help them get off it. You don't have to condone smoking, but you should explore it with an open mind."

· If they're reluctant to give up, seek to identify what's important to them. Is it their fitness, their looks, finance or the corporate nature of tobacco companies? McNally says: "One of the worst ways to encourage children to stop smoking is to show them pictures of diseased lungs and hearts. Young people often have a sense of being immortal and not vulnerable to such things. Cancer and heart disease are for old people."

· Help your child to address their smoking behaviour. "Try to help him or her identify when they smoke, the times and the situations. This also helps to pin down why they smoke - what pressures they're under and how they can best avoid them," says tobacco control expert, Iain Miller.

· If you smoke, give up. "If your child is trying to stop smoking and they're coming home to a household full of smoke, it's going to make it really difficult," says Miller. Giving up will also help you to understand how hard it is to quit. "If parents were smokers," he says, "They need to remember how difficult it was for them to kick the habit."

· Contact your local NHS Stop Smoking services for help. These offer non-judgmental support and can offer nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or inhalers.