What Teens Don’t See, They May Not Do…

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says the number of smoking images in American movies went down by more than 50 % over the last five years. Even better, scenes that featured smoking in G, PG, and PG-13 - rated movies were down by more than 70 % in the same period.

(A California group {"Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down!"} keeps a tally of the number of what they call "tobacco incidents", any actual or implied use of tobacco by an actor, for the top-10 grossing movies in American in any given week. The CDC report was based on those records.)

It's hoped that fewer smoking scenes in movies may help reduce the number of smokers, especially teen smokers. An earlier study by the National Cancer Institute noted that the more smoking images a teen saw at the movies, the more likely that the teen would begin smoking.

Have you noticed the reduced number of smoking scenes at the movies? Do you think that fewer smokers on the screen helps reduce the number outside the theatre? If you're a parent, are you concerned about smoking scenes in movies and TV? Start the debate...