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On June 29th, in the yard of a residential area in Baitaling Street, Haigang District, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, several children took out "cigarette cards", squatted in a circle and slapped them with their hands. With each beat, the winner cheers and the loser sighs.
A "cigarette card" is a rectangular card folded from the top cover of a cigarette packaging box. During the game, the players arrange the "cigarette cards" on the ground in a concentrated way, and take turns to slap them with their hands. Whoever can knock the cigarette cards over with the palm wind will win and win the "cigarette card". Recently, with the popularity of "cigarette card" games in various places, its possible negative impact on the physical and mental health of primary school students has attracted more and more attention.
Phenomenon: Primary school students are addicted to "cigarette cards"
In another community in Haigang District, Qinhuangdao City, the reporter saw that several children playing with "cigarette cards" were slapping the ground hard in turn. Each of them had a plastic bag or a cigarette box with colorful "cigarette cards" around them.
One of the children told the reporter that he is a third-grade student in a nearby primary school. Since March this year, the "cigarette card" has gradually become popular in the class. Now most boys in the class are playing, and some girls are also playing.
As for the source of the "cigarette card", the child said that it is usually asked from parents who smoke, some children will go through the garbage or buy it online, and some will ask strangers for it, and so on.
At the request of the reporter, the child demonstrated the folding process of the "cigarette card". The child is familiar with the road and explains while folding. Although he slowed down the folding speed in order to make the reporter see clearly, in less than ten seconds, a folded "cigarette card" was presented to the reporter.
The child said that the classification of "cigarette cards" is mainly based on the price of cigarettes. The more expensive cigarettes, the higher the grade. "The more expensive cigarettes are, the more powerful the’ cigarette card’ will be. Mine are all ordinary, and there is nothing particularly good." When he said this, the child’s face could not hide the loneliness. He listed two high-grade "cigarette cards", and the reporter found that the retail price of each box of two cigarettes was around 100 yuan.
"Smoke card" is not popular in one place. Mr. Liu, a citizen of qiaoxi district, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, said that in April this year, his daughter, who was in the fourth grade of primary school, asked him for a cigarette case. My daughter told Mr. Liu that they don’t like to play "cigarette cards" in class, and some students will spend money to buy them. The reason why they want cigarette cases from Mr. Liu is to make them into "cigarette cards" and sell them to their classmates.
On the No.123 bus from Zuojiazhuangqiao West Station to Mudanyuan West Station in Beijing, the reporter randomly asked a little boy. He said that he is now in the third grade of primary school, and most boys in the class play with "cigarette cards". In addition to asking for cigarette cases from home, they will also go to the trash can.
How obsessed are primary school students with "cigarette cards"? According to reports, some children are "possessed", and some hide cigarette cases in pencil cases and take them to class to enjoy them secretly; Some classes are still trying to figure out the game technology, thinking about how to win more "smoke cards"; Others took a "smoke card" and photographed a broken finger. In June this year, three children in Anshun City, Guizhou Province walked into the expressway because they liked to play with "cigarette cards". I heard that there were many cigarette cases on the expressway, so I "organized a group" with my friends to pick them up …
And businesses have already smelled business opportunities. On a shopping website, the reporter searched for "cigarette cards" and found that there were as many as 100 pages in the list of goods, one of which was packaged and sold at a price of several yuan to hundreds of yuan according to the brand and quantity, showing that more than 30,000 people had paid. The customer service staff said that this product is a brand-new real card, non-printed, and produced by a regular cigarette factory. Because it is not made into a box, it has no offset printing and smoke smell, and it is clean and hygienic. You can also have those with glue marks. Those are recycled old cigarette cases, and the price will be slightly more expensive.
One of the buyers commented, "Yes, it’s genuine, reflective, not smoky, and children like it very much. The lines are exquisite, and many more copies have been sent."
Inquiry: The root cause is social psychological needs.
With the popularity of the "smoke card" game, its possible negative effects have also attracted the attention of all parties.
Recently, the authentication subject is WeChat official account’s WeChat "Smoke-free Beijing" issued by Beijing Smoking Control Association, pointing out that the popularity of "cigarette cards" will bring many influences to primary school students. Students are not interested in attending classes because they are obsessed with the "cigarette card" game, which may even become a disguised gambling behavior. The "cigarette card" may also spread tobacco information in disguised form, leading primary school students to contact tobacco trademarks prematurely and give them psychological hints to try smoking. Some students look for discarded cigarette cases by the roadside in order to get "cigarette cards", and even rummage through cigarette cases in the trash can. When playing "cigarette cards", they all lie on the ground and touch the ground with their hands, which is very easy to be polluted by bacteria and other microorganisms, thus affecting children’s health.
Previously, the disease control and education departments in many places have issued tips for primary school students to indulge in "cigarette cards", listing all kinds of adverse effects brought by the game of "cigarette cards", which mainly include suggesting smoking behavior, causing comparison psychology, inducing gambling in disguised form, and affecting physical health.
On a short video platform, a video about a man meeting a child asking for a cigarette case while eating at a roadside stall attracted more than 13,000 comments from netizens.
A netizen said that the disadvantages of the "cigarette card" game are gradually emerging. Pupils will compare who has a better "cigarette card" and even want to try to understand cigarettes. Some children can know the price of cigarettes by smelling it. "The game is right, but there will be problems if the game carrier is a cigarette case."
Some netizens also said that there is nothing wrong with taking a "cigarette card" similar to the New Year pictures played by the "post-80 s". "It is better for children to play with a’ cigarette card’ than a mobile phone."
Shi Gaoyan, director and chief physician of the Department of Psychology and Behavior of Children and Adolescents in Jinan Mental Health Center, Shandong Province, analyzed that the primary school students’ addiction to the "cigarette card" game is rooted in their social psychological needs of seeking identity. Primary school students in the critical period of social development are deeply eager to be recognized and accepted by their peers. As a popular game item, "cigarette card" just provides a platform for them to gain a sense of identity and social satisfaction.
"In addition, children are always curious about new things, and the novelty of’ cigarette cards’ fits their desire to explore." Shi Gaoyan said that some children face confusion and pressure in their studies, family or self-identity, and they may choose to indulge in "cigarette cards" to pin their emotions and escape unpleasant emotions.
Shi Gaoyan said that excessive addiction to the "cigarette card" game has a negative impact on children’s physical and mental health. It may lead to children’s distraction, affect learning efficiency, and then have a negative impact on academic performance and learning motivation. Some children may be eager to win, which may lead to conflicts and even excessive consumption, which will bring economic pressure to their families.
The Beijing Association for Controlling Smoking also pointed out that a small "cigarette card" must not be allowed to drift. It is necessary to supervise and manage the "cigarette card" to prevent the erosion and harm of bad atmosphere to children.
Coping: Multi-party efforts to get rid of the "smoke card"
In response to the harm caused by "cigarette cards", relevant departments in various places have already taken action.
Recently, Zhengning County of Gansu Province organized education, public security, tobacco monopoly and market supervision departments to carry out special rectification actions against "cigarette cards" around the campus. Focus on small shops, stationery stores and toy stores around the campus, and investigate in detail whether there are sales of "cigarette cards" in the stores. The relevant departments of Bozhou City, Anhui Province formed a joint law enforcement team to carry out the source control of "cigarette cards" around the campus.
Shi Gaoyan said that parents and schools play a vital role in helping children get rid of the addiction of "cigarette cards". Not only should we care about children’s academic performance, but also their emotional state and mental health.
"In the face of children’s addiction to’ cigarette cards’, parents and schools should establish a good communication mechanism, pay close attention to children’s emotional state and behavior changes, and find and solve problems in time." Shi Gaoyan said that we should create a positive and healthy social environment for children, encourage them to participate in various social activities and cultivate good interpersonal skills. In addition, parents and schools should guide their children to treat the "cigarette card" game rationally through education and demonstration, and replace the "cigarette card" with a "celebrity card" that is beneficial to the body and mind to help them establish correct values and outlook on life. At the same time, it is necessary to clarify the boundaries between good behavior and bad behavior and emphasize the importance of a healthy life.
In various places, the importance of family education is also emphasized in the health tips for primary school students’ addiction to "cigarette cards". The Education Bureau of Tianshui City, Gansu Province pointed out that parents should set an example, fully understand the hidden dangers of the "cigarette card" game, and do not provide "cigarette cards" to their children and smoke in front of them. For children who have already played the "smoke card" game, parents should find ways to help them get rid of addiction. Deal with emotions before dealing with things, and communicate happily and frankly in an environment acceptable to both sides.
Shi Gaoyan suggested that parents and schools guide their children to try diversified hobbies. At the same time, provide a variety of recreational activities to meet children’s interest needs.
"In short, only parents and schools can work together to help children get rid of their troubles, stay away from bad habits and move towards a healthy and happy growth path." Shi Gaoyan said.
Reporter’s notes
Keeping children away from tobacco has a long way to go.
With the popularity of electronic products today, it is not a bad thing to have a game that can make children put down their mobile phones, but the game is stained with the word "smoke".
There is no need to mention the harm of tobacco to children and adolescents. The "cigarette card" can give children psychological hints of trying to smoke, which is also a fact confirmed by authoritative departments.
In the case of meeting children’s social psychological needs, the gameplay with a slight "gambling" attribute makes children’s hands slapping "cigarette cards" unable to stop. But in theory, there are many things to choose from. Why is the cigarette case chosen as the game medium? Why isn’t it a glass ball, an animation card or any other object? This may be related to the relatively easy access to cigarette cases, and it also reflects that tobacco is too close to children.
The number of smokers in China exceeds 300 million. According to the core data of the adult tobacco epidemic survey in Shanghai in 2022, the average smoker smokes 14.4 cigarettes a day, and more than 200 million cigarette cases are consumed every day in China. This means that before it became a sought-after beacon, cigarette cases were just common rubbish for children and were readily available. Cigarette cases are easy to obtain and become the basis for the popularity of "cigarette cards".
In addition, some smokers do not obey the "etiquette" of smoking and smoke in front of minors, which intensifies the immersion of the concept of "tobacco" on minors. Although the tobacco control regulations issued in some places clearly stipulate that smoking is prohibited in outdoor places where minors are the main active people, those who fail to comply are not alone. The data show that there are nearly 200 million children who are forced to suffer from second-hand smoke in China, and more than 60% children are exposed to second-hand smoke and tobacco in the family environment. May I ask parents who smoke, even in their own homes, who can do it without smoking in front of their children?
There are more than 5.8 million cigarette retailers in China, and the cigarette retail counters, neatly arranged commodity cabinets and exquisite cigarette packaging all increase the exposure of tobacco products in front of minors, making them more acceptable to minors.
There is still a long way to go to keep children away from tobacco. Relevant parties should further publicize the dangers of tobacco and create a smoke-free environment. Every family should strive to be a smoke-free family and create a healthy and warm harbor for children.
Original title: "Hidden worries behind the" cigarette card "
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