To think that smoking indoors around children should be illegal?

[Crimesean]

It's been very clear for decades from multiple peer-reviewed studies that secondhand smoke harms children. It's bad enough watching people smoke around their children outdoors, but it's absolutely disgusting and (in my opinion) abusive to smoke indoors around children.

Not only will those children be far, far more likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses during childhood or later life, they are more likely to develop cancer and heart problems too. Children of smokers are also much more likely to take up smoking themselves.

Why has the government not stepped in to do something about this? OK, social workers/police have a lot to do and wouldn't be able to follow up on just this one issue on its own, but even just making it illegal would help over time to reduce it, and for those parents who don't care about their child's health, it might convince them to stop smoking indoors if it could get them fined.

Possible because it would lead to people leaving their children unsupervised.

How would they know? I have memories of my mum smoking in bed in front of us when we were little and use to sleep in her room. They could make it illegal but no one would actually know it’s happening.

It’s great in principle but how on earth would it be policed/enforced?

I agree with you but absolutely impossible to police.

There is no way to police it
It's a nice thought in theory but unworkable in practise

I thought it was illegal to smoke indoors, my dh and I had people round at a party and someone brought their friend from the pub who stubbed their *cigarette out on the carpet. That was 1978 when we banned smoking in our house.

• Yes it was common to see see people do that.

It'd be too hard to police.

DH's step father smoked in the house, he suffered with asthma and it cleared up when he moved out at 16. I smoked when I met dh but gave up not long after meeting him.

I smoke but my 24 and 22 yr old don't.

1. It should be illegal. I can’t see why it’s illegal to smoke in a car with children but not in the house.
2. Lots of things are difficult to enforce but are still illegal. Countries have legislated against smacking - how is that enforced? It would be easier to prove that children are subject to cigarette smoke indoors than have been smacked as their clothes will smell of smoke . I could always tell which students came from smoke-filled homes as soon as I pulled their essay out of the plastic wallet.

It should be, but how would it be policed?

@Maray1967

1. It should be illegal. I can’t see why it’s illegal to smoke in a car with children but not in the house.

1. Lots of things are difficult to enforce but are still illegal. Countries have legislated against smacking - how is that enforced? It would be easier to prove that children are subject to cigarette smoke indoors than have been smacked as their clothes will smell of smoke . I could always tell which students came from smoke-filled homes as soon as I pulled their essay out of the plastic wallet.

I see that England hasn't made smacking illegal yet!

The very few people that I know who do still smoke, don't smoke indoors. And I agree with others that it would be impossible to police.

It's not necessarily about policing it - it's not like bobbies on the beat are going to knock on random doors - but even just making it illegal can have an effect over time, the nudge. For example, teachers know which children stink of smoke all the time, and as part of a picture could report that to social services or the police.

You could make the same argument about smacking - I think it should be against the law to smack a child, because in a civilised society we shouldn't permit people to hit their children. Smoking around them is the same thing (and actually more likely to cause harm).

The number of people who can't stand up to their (e.g.) DM who they don't want to smoke around their DC ("it never did you any harm") would have another defence ("I know Mum, but it's against the law now, what if the kids tell them up at the school").

I don’t know anyone that does it but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. You just don’t see it.

It should be illegal but because it would be hard to enforce.

As pp pointed out how would it be policed . In this day and age only a halfwit would smoke ( or vape ) around children yet time and again you see people pushing prams and holding hands with small children whilst puffing in their faces . I’m mid 50s , my dad smoked indoors , in bed , in the car when he died if a heart attack at 51 he was sitting in a chair smoking . None of us smoke or have ever smoked and I was the youngest at early 20s when he died . 5/6 years ago I was diagnosed with small vessel lung disease and asthma more than likely as a result of second hand smoking as a child .

It's not necessarily about policing it - it's not like bobbies on the beat are going to knock on random doors - but even just making it illegal can have an effect over time, the nudge

I agree with this, it would be more about changing attitudes around smoking, smoking indoors, and smoking around children rather than actually prosecuting people. For some people it would be that last push that convinces them to quit.

The only way to stop it would be to ban tobacco altogether. That won't happen because it brings in to much revenue in tax as does alcohol.
Yes it is unpleasant, people are aware of the risks, and should be able to make up their own minds. The majority of smokers I know all smoke outside anyway. Which then as we see so often on here annoys the neighbours.

The kind of people who still smoke indoors in front of children wouldn't be motivated by making it illegal.

@JudgeRindersMinder

It’s great in principle but how on earth would it be policed/enforced?

Presumably there would be rewards for children grassing up their parents, along the Adolf Hitler route.

Unenforceable.

As if social services have enough manpower to be investigating children smelling of smoke.

This is a nice idea but unworkable in practice. Smoking has become more and more socially unacceptable anyway.

The number of people who can't stand up to their (e.g.) DM who they don't want to smoke around their DC ("it never did you any harm") would have another defence ("I know Mum, but it's against the law now, what if the kids tell them up at the school").

Those people should just grow a backbone and keep their children away from granny while she’s puffing away. You aren’t being realistic here.

Completely agree. Difficult to enforce, yes, but some people are law abiding and it’s about the message it sends too.

How can you stop people smoking in their own homes? Unenforceable.

It’s unenforceable, and there’s a risk of the consequences of enforcing it would be worse than the consequences of second hand smoke. The manpower needed to enforce fines is far beyond the capacity of our current police and social services - stretching them even thinner, and then what of repeat offenders? Removing the children, or imprisoning their parents is potentially far more traumatic for children.

There are many things parents do which are legal, but not ideal (forward facing from 9kg, excessive and unmonitored screen time, poor diet, no effort with education etc.) but criminalising it is totally unworkable.