http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/20/fighting-against-smoking-in-the-movies.html
According to this article, movies that portray actors and actresses smoking should be rated R so that kids who are not legally old enough to smoke are not exposed as often to smoking. In 2008 the National Cancer Institute did a study that showed kids being very influenced by all the tobacco products they saw in movies. This article shows the influence one group has on another, the media on the viewer, role models and the people that look up to them.
I would argue that making a movie rated R in order to encourage kids not to smoke is not a valid way to cope with underage smokers. These kids see smoking on TV and on the streets all the time. While I do see the possibility of a kid thinking that a glorified movie character smoking is cool I would argue that their peers influencing them to smoke would be a far more powerful persuasive device. Overall I think that maybe on a subconscious level a child might be more likely to pick up smoking if they see it in a movie, however given that they can already see smoking on TV and in their lives just walking down the street I do not think that R rating will help deter them.
ReplyDelete