Charter Champion: Bruce Adamson

Principle 3: All children should play, learn and socialise in places that are free from tobacco 

Bruce Adamson is a lawyer who has over 20 years of experience in children’s rights. He was a member of the Children’s Panel for 13 years and has worked directly with vulnerable children and their families, listening to their experiences and making decisions about their safety and wellbeing. Bruce was appointed as Children and Young People's Commissioner in 2017 and is passionate about children's right to have safe, healthy, smoke-free environments to play, learn and socialise. 

"Children have a right to live, learn and play in environments that help them to grow up healthily and happily and the evidence supports that this should be smoke-free. Children often don’t have the choice about growing up around smoking, so it’s up to adults to make choices that can positively affect everyone in the family.”

Spaces where children and young people play learn and socialise should be smoke-free. This creates a healthier, safer environment and means children may be less likely to take up smoking when they grow up.

The more time children spend in smoke-free environments like schools, playgrounds and their homes, the less normal or expected smoking seems to them, making the choice not to smoke themselves a natural one. Avoiding the future health impacts and financial costs of smoking can greatly improve a child’s life outcomes. 

Useful links:

• Tobacco-free Schools 
• Smoke-free Play 
• Tobacco-free Youth Projects
• Charter Case Studies