Smoke-Free Movies Project
Scientific evidence has shown that the more smoking kids see in films, the more likely they are to start smoking. However, from 1999 to 2006, tobacco could still be found in 75% of PG-13 films and 36% of G/PG movies. As a result, experts estimate that movies with tobacco use influence 52% of all new teen smokers to start. This adds up to approximately 390,000 new smokers in the U.S. every year!
To address this troubling trend, Breathe California is coordinating a campaign to reduce the effects of tobacco depiction in American cinema. Through this project, the organization will be recruiting Bay Area teenagers, educating them about the impact of “tobacco in the media” and then training them to advocate the film industry to adopt “The Four Solutions”:
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Rating New Movies with Smoking “R” - Certifying that No Pay-Offs Were Made When Featuring Tobacco in Films
- Requiring Strong Anti-Smoking Ads
- Banning the Use of Tobacco Brands
As part of this effort, the teenagers will be reaching out to local community groups to gain additional resolutions supporting “The Four Solutions.” The teens will also be participating in theThumbs Up! Thumb Down! program (created by our sister Breathe California affiliate in Sacramento) to expose the prevalence of tobacco depiction in today’s most popular movies. Together, these efforts seek to significantly reduce the impact of adolescent exposure to on-screen smoking.
To learn more about our smoke-free movies project, contact German Blanco at (408) 998-5865 or german@lungsrus.org