Smoke-Free Media

We know youth look up to celebs and influencers they see onscreen and want to do what they do. The evidence on this one is clear – watching smoking onscreen causes youth to start smoking and vaping in real life.

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About 37% of youth smoking in Ontario is due to being exposed to smoking onscreen.1

In the past 10 years, 86% of movies that showed smoking were movies that were rated for kids and teens1
– this isn’t just a fluke, ask yourself “why is it there?”

Today, all six major studios — Comcast, Disney, Fox, Sony, Time Warner and Viacom — have created policies to limit tobacco in youth-rated films. Still, it is very common to see smoking and vaping in movies that are made for youth because most of these policies have many exceptions and loopholes. Now that at-home streaming is popular, young people have increased access to movies of all rating levels.

In 2021, tobacco imagery was seen in 2

12.8%

Billboard Music Videos

47%

Top New Release Movies

60%

Top 15 New TV Shows

Video games also expose youth to images of tobacco, which can promote youth smoking. In 2018, 7 out of 20 of the best-selling US video games contained tobacco imagery.3 Many video games rated for youth audiences were found to contain tobacco imagery, and the game descriptors often failed to mention tobacco use in the game.4
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Be a champion in your school or youth group.

Youth advocates all over the world are calling for change; they no longer want to be targets of the tobacco/vaping industry. In order to prevent a new generation hooked on nicotine, all future movies rated for children and teens in Ontario (G, PG, 14A) need to be free from tobacco products and smoking and vaping imagery.

Support the World Health Organization’s five actions to protect kids from smoking:

Student

Join the thousands of people requesting the film industry make a rating change and support smoke free youth-rated movies in Ontario and in the United States. Be sure to share your support of this change on all your social media platforms to help us move this important issue forward.

Sign the Petition

Host a smoke/vape-free movie event at your school or youth group to share what you have learned about smoke-free media and being media aware. Be sure to check the onscreen tobacco database first to see how much tobacco imagery is in your movie of choice.

Search for Smoke-Free Movies

Start with what is within your control. Want to do what you can to protect your little sibling, cousin or neighbor? Create a smoke/vape-free viewing policy for your school or community group. See this example from Huron-Perth school board. 

Learn more

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