May 8, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Last week, the University of Michigan reported on the results of a nationwide poll which found that smoking is now parents’ number one health concern for kids. Another new study to be published this month in the journal Pediatrics might hold a clue about why.

The study, conducted by the Dartmouth University Medical School, finds that between 1998 and 2003, teens in the United States saw actors smoking in the movies more than 10 billion times. The study followed 6,500 U.S. kids aged 10 to 14, and extrapolated that on average, between 1998 and 2003, each child had seen 665 images of smoking in the movies each year. According to the study, smoking appears in 74 percent of all films. Previous studies have shown that smoking in the movies leads more than 40 percent of all teen smokers to pick up the habit.

“Smoking in the movies is a huge concern when it comes to kids’ health, and it’s understandable that kids’ smoking remains a major worry for parents,” said Common Sense Media CEO James Steyer. “Visual imagery is powerful stuff, and kids often want to imitate what their favorite stars do on screen – whether it’s wearing the latest fashions, playing a certain sport, or, unfortunately, smoking cigarettes.”

To help parents manage their kids’ exposure to smoking in the movies, Common Sense offers the following tips:

• Watch TV and movies with your kids, and point out smoking. Where is it shown as glamorous? Where is it shown as cool? Remind them that tobacco companies might have paid to have their product featured.
• Share the facts about smoking with your kids. According to the National Cancer Institute, smoking kills almost half a million people every year. The numbers are hard to argue with.
• Keep young kids (aged 2 to 8) away from TV shows and movies with smoking. If they do see it, though, point it out and let them know that smoking is bad for them.