Call for film certification to reflect scenes of smoking
Films which depict scenes of smokers indulging their habit should carry an 18 age certification in a similar vein to sex and violence – according to campaigners.
It follows research conducted by Bristol University which found that 15 year olds exposed to smoking actors were more likely to adopt the habit themselves.
15,000 15 year olds were questioned for the study, which encompassed 350 of the top grossing US films between 2001 and 2005. These included hits such as The Matrix, Spiderman and Bridget Jones Diary.
Respondents who had watched the most smoking content were 73% more likely to have tried a cigarette than those who had watched the least and 50% more likely to be a current smoker – even when controlling for other variables such as social background and peer pressure.
Pro-smoking groups and individual liberty campaigners have reacted with shock to the study however, pointing out that there is no proof that what a person views on screen can be correlated to the real world.
Dr Andrea Waylen, who led the research, explained: "We saw a linear relationship between adolescent smoking and the number of films they had seen depicting smoking.
"More than half of the films shown in the UK that contain smoking are rated UK15 or below, so children and young teenagers are clearly exposed."
Films which include scenes of smoking can currently be certified as U – suitable for all audiences.