During awards season, the spotlight is on movies and shows that have caught the attention of millions, and all eyes are on the screen to see who comes out on top. Although this may seem like innocent fun, in reality these popular movies are exposing millions of youth to tobacco on screen.

Smoking remains the #1 cause of preventable death in the United States and kills more than 7 million people worldwide every year. To prevent death and disease from smoking, Tobacco-Free CNY is focused on reducing the number of new smokers, especially among youth. However, the movie industry continues to expose youth to tobacco imagery, and research has found that young people who see tobacco on screen are up to three times more likely to start vaping nicotine and two times more likely to use tobacco. The CDC even suggests that on-screen smoking could kill almost 2 million children and teens alive today.  Despite these demonstrated harms, tobacco imagery is still allowed in youth-rated films and there is no standard rating for smoking in films.

Giving an “R” rating to films with tobacco imagery could decrease youth smoking rates by about 18%. This could save the lives of millions of youth and prevent countless more from suffering from diseases due to smoking. Working to have more accurate ratings and parental warnings that include tobacco would allow parents to avoid exposing their children to tobacco use.

To learn more about smoking in films, you can read Truth Initiative’s report HERE.
Find out more about the harms of tobacco at our website, https://tobaccofreecny.org/
To learn about our upcoming events, follow us on Facebook @tobaccofreecny

Smoke-Free Movie Event
To raise awareness on the harms of smoking in youth-rated movies, Tobacco-Free CNY and Reality Check hosted a smoke-free movie event. On Saturday, March 22, youth from three Reality Check groups in Onondaga County hosted a free movie showing of “IF” at Regal Cinemas at Destiny USA. Almost 100 community members gathered at the event and were educated by the youth. They played games, answered trivia questions, took photos at the photo station, showed their support for smoke-free movies, and earned fun prizes.

Prior to the movie, four youth spoke to the crowd about what they have learned while in Reality Check. They educated the audience on the harms of smoking and vaping, how the tobacco industry markets their products to youth, how secondhand smoke is dangerous to non-smokers, and why smoking in movies is harmful. They did a great job delivering this important information to the audience and kicking off the start of the movie!