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Smoking in the Movies

Smoking in movies has a powerful impact on youth smoking initiation, influencing 180,000 children and adolescents to take up smoking each year. 

Since 80% of smokers start before the age of 18, it is critical to provide comprehensive prevention measures for youth. Reducing or eliminating youth’s exposure to on-screen smoking behavior helps to debunk the notion that smoking is “normal” or “cool.” This intervention can save youth from a lifelong and deadly addiction.

A National Cancer Institute report has confirmed that exposure to smoking in the movies promotes adolescent smoking initiation.  Other studies have found that seeing smoking in the movies is a catalyst for between one-third and one-half of adolescents starting to smoke.^[1][2]

How You Can Protect the Kids You Love:

As a parent, grandparent or caretaker, you can make a difference, and help protect the children you know from starting to smoke because of what they see in the movies.

1. Only go see and rent movies that don't glorify smoking
2. Talk to kids about the difference between the positive portrayal of smoking in the movies and the consequences of smoking in real life
3. Speak out about the need for movie studios to stop featuring tobacco products in their movies, sever their relationships with tobacco brands, and use a "R" rating for all new movies that do feature smoking 

What the Movie Studios Can Do:

Legacy endorses the four Smoke-Free Movie Principles to address the negative impact of youth’s exposure to on-screen smoking. 

Four Principles

1. Require strong anti-tobacco ads that are evidence-based and proven effective to run before any film with any tobacco presence, regardless of its rating.
2. Stop brand identification in movies through the depiction of identifiable packs of cigarettes, billboards, or other forms of tobacco brand identification.
3. Certify no pay-offs through a statement in the movie credits that nobody on the production received anything of value in exchange for using or displaying tobacco.
4. Rate all new movies with smoking “R”, unless the movie clearly and unambiguously reflects the dangers and consequences of smoking or if it accurately depicts the behavior of an actual, historical figure.

Contact:

If your organization is interested in participating in activities related to Smoke Free Movies, please email Caroline Joyce.