Only one in 50 of the young smokers who try to quit called an NHS helpline or used health service smoking cessation schemes and just one in a hundred went to their family doctor for assistance.
One in four went to friends and family, according to the report, Statistics on smoking, published by the Information Centre, which carries out research for the Government and the NHS.
About 15 per cent of adults who tried to stop smoking sought help from a health professional and eight per cent went to a stop-smoking group.
Anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said anti-smoking services tend to target adults rather than the under-16s. Research manager Amanda Sandford said: "It is partly because of society's attitude that, if they are under the legal age when they can be sold tobacco, they should be able to stop if they have a mind to.
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