Could smoking in movies influence young people to try it out?
A new study has found an increase in smoking in movies. Could it have an impact on young minds? Damon weighs in on the matter.
Would you believe it if I told you that tobacco use in movies is on the rise? According to Newsweek, a report has been published which shows that tobacco use in big movies has jumped up by 80% between 2015 and 2016.
In other words, movie characters are using some form of tobacco - either cigarettes, cigars or hookahs, and many have argued the use of these products has influenced the youth of today. The scary thing is that one in two movies are targeting children under the age of thirteen.
Read - Social experiment: Would you stop a child from smoking in public?
The study also says that youngsters exposed to smoking in movies are two to three times more likely to smoke.
South Africa has a law in place which prohibits product placement of tobacco products, but there's often a conflict of interest between the objective of making money and the objective of public health.
The tobacco industry continues to argue that they only market to persuade adult smoking, but if movie icons are seen to be smoking in PG13 movies, for example, isn't that a form of marketing to the youth?
Read: Boy caught smoking on school premises
What do you think about this recent study? Do you think that showing smoking in films is more likely to influence the younger members of society? I'd love to hear from you. Share your comments below.