Movies+Smoking+Kids=Support for Prop 86
At Common Sense, we are strictly non-partisan, but we are passionately kid-partisan. We started this organization because we were – and remain – deeply concerned about the impact of media on kids. We truly believe that media is a public health issue. Since it acts as a “super-peer,” media has the capacity to influence behaviors that affect our children’s physical, mental and social health. Our goal is to help parents and teachers with decision-making tools like our reviews, ratings, and recommendations. But we also want to help raise a generation of kids who can think critically about the media they consume; we know that what we put in our kids’ minds is as important to their health as what we put in their bodies.
At Common Sense, we are strictly non-partisan, but we are passionately kid-partisan. We started this organization because we were – and remain – deeply concerned about the impact of media on kids. We truly believe that media is a public health issue. Since it acts as a “super-peer,” media has the capacity to influence behaviors that affect our children’s physical, mental and social health. Our goal is to help parents and teachers with decision-making tools like our reviews, ratings, and recommendations. But we also want to help raise a generation of kids who can think critically about the media they consume; we know that what we put in our kids’ minds is as important to their health as what we put in their bodies.
It is for this reason that we are taking the unusual position of backing a California political initiative, Proposition 86, which will increase the California tobacco tax. The funding will help ensure that every child under age 19 has access to affordable health insurance. Onscreen smoking in movies influences more U.S. teens to begin smoking than any other kind of tobacco promotion, putting hundreds of thousands of kids at risk for disease and death. (For stunning facts go to the SmokeFreeMovies website.) Since 3 out of 4 PG-13 movies have smoking in them, the least we can do is find a way to pay for the healthcare of those who will be affected.
