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They're usually covered by age limit laws and also not "free" as they cost money to purchase. In what sense are they available freely to kids?

"Freely available" doesn't mean they are free of charge, but that they can be obtained at any time with minimal effort.

I don't agree that it's minimal effort for kids to get hold of cigarettes and alcohol, though it's probably not too difficult for older teens to do so.

Not really

Some number of people might make these available to kids, but it's certainly nowhere near "freely"

No, they're not. Not in most of the US and not compared to social media/porn. This is disingenuous.

The average 13 year old in the US cannot easily get a cigarette or a beer. Not impossible of course, but not as easy as porn/instagram.