New research by the University of Bristol indicates that smoking in films encourages teenagers to take a drag. Almost 50 per cent of 15 year-olds who saw films depicting smoking were more likely to be a current smoker than those least exposed.
The study, which selected 5,166 teenagers, asked whether they had seen 50 randomly chosen box office hits between 2001 and 2005. Those who saw the most films depicting smoking were found to be 73 per cent more likely to have tried a cigarette.
However the effect on the current generation of Bristol students is not clear. Jess Goodwin, 2nd year philosophy student, claimed that the ‘glamorised depictions of smoking in film lead to the notion that it is socially acceptable to smoke’. As iconic film stars such as Leonardo Di Caprio in Blood Diamond or Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones Diary light up, teenagers may be subconsciously influenced.
These findings have prompted calls for film makers, regulators and politicians to review their policies on film classification for movies which glamorise smoking. More than half the films shown in the UK that contain smoking are rated UK15 or below, exposing children and young adults.
The UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies wants such films to fall under the same stringent rules applied to films showing violence and sex, arguing that children need to be protected from potentially harmful imagery.
Dr Waylen, from the School of Oral and Dental Sciences, said: ‘Our results confirm an association between this exposure and youth smoking in this country, indicating that raising the certification to 18 in the UK is likely to lower smoking rates among youth’.
If the age certification of films which depict smoking is raised, it could be too late for the current generation of smokers. Despite the correlation between current smokers and depictions of smoking in films, many students argue that they have not been affected by the actions of their on screen heroes.
The decision not to smoke despite glamorous depictions in the media suggests that many students are not convinced. Ire Aderinokun, 2nd year psychology student, argued that ‘students are sensible enough to make informed lifestyle choices and not to imitate what they see on screen’.
The popular decision not to smoke despite numerous glamorous depictions in the media suggests that many students are not convinced.
Article originally published in the News section of Epigram, the University of Bristol Student Newspaper.
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