More than half of young smokers (aged between 12 and 20) say that their parents allow them to smoke - 64.5% say they have their mother's permission and 52% claim they have their father's.

However, one in three parents don't even know their kids smoke either habitually or sporadically, according to this latest study by the Pfizer Foundation and based on 800 telephone interviews carried out in July with both girls and boys in this age group and the same amount of interviews with their parents, in which they asked parents what they thought about their kids' attitude towards smoking.

Both youngsters (84.2%) and their parents (77.7%) felt the anti-smoking laws were a good thing and, in both cases, a third believed that the laws had contributed to a reduction in tobacco consumption amongst young people.

Almost 30% of the kids interviewed were either smokers or former smokers, but almost half of parents were unaware of this fact.

The average age for starting smoking came out at 13.9 years, earlier for boys than for girls, although parents put the age closer to 15, and smoking multiplied by five from the age of 16 onwards, and the figure was even higher amongst girls.

45.6% wanted to give up smoking and 36.5% hoped to have cut down within the year, especially in the case of girls.  A large proportion of parents (44.5%) don't think their kids will cut down.

Despite this, only one in four wanted any help in either cutting back or giving up cigarettes altogether.

The influence of a person's social circle was given as the main reason for starting smoking, especially the influence of friends according to 52.9% of those interviewed.  50.5% of those who wanted to give up said it was because they didn't like it, 40.3% because it was bad for their health and 17% to save money.

Intrestingly, only 3.6% say they started smoking because their parents smoke.

Both the kids (86.8%) and parents (72.9%) agreed that consumption would increase if cigarettes were cheaper.

Amongst those who have never smoked, 56.3% admitted that it had appealed at one time or another and 42.9% don't smoke for health reasons.

More than half the young people interviewed shared their home with at least one smoker and almost three in ten were exposed to cigarette smoke in the family home.  42% of them said they didn't like the fact that smoking was allowed at home.

As far as parents who let their kids smoke are concerned, there is much greater permissiveness amongst mothers, especially where sons are concerned. Almost 40% of parents make it a condition that their children do not smoke in the house.

Nine out of ten youngsters say they have enough information about the dangers of smoking (heart and lung complaints, cancer, even for passive smokers) from their parents, schools, colleges, media, the internet and social networks.

Nevertheless, one in seven believe that the risks are exaggerated, a quarter believe that it helps them to lose weight and that it's not dangerous if only done occasionally.  40% believe cigarettes are only bad for you if you carry on smoking for many years.