New research from the NHS has discovered that a new “smokefree generation” of children are worried about the effects of smoking on the health of their parents, will never try a cigarette and see smoking as “uncool”.

The findings of a poll of 1,000 8-13 year-old children in England have been released as the Department of Health launches a new advertising campaign targeting parents who smoke. The adverts use real children who talk about their concerns about parents who smoke.

Gillian Merron, Public Health Minister said: “We understand how difficult it is to stop smoking. I hope this new campaign will give mums and dads the encouragement they need to realise they can do it with help from the NHS, and support from their children.

“You are four times more likely to quit if you use the free NHS stop smoking service. The facts are clear – every week 2,000 people die from smoking-related diseases, which has a devastating effect on children’s lives.”

96% of children with a parent who smokes wished they would quit and nine out of 10 said they’d never tried a cigarette themselves. 91% believed they would never try one and nearly two-thirds would rather give up pocket money if it meant their parents would quit. One in four children believed smoking would cease to exist by 2030.

Nine out of 10 children were aware that passive smoking was damaging to their health and three quarters recognised the increased risk of developing cancer.

This study has been backed up by recent statistics showing that regular smoking among 11-15 year-olds has halved since reaching a peak in the mid-1990s.