D•MYST
skip all nav
Toxic Movies
Scroll down to the bottom of this letter, enter your name and address. Click Send and this will email your personal letter to the BFCB!
Mr Green
Chief Assistant (Policy)
British Board of Film Classification
3 Soho Square
London
W1D 3HD
Dear Mr Green
I’m concerned about smoking in films rated U, PG, 12A/12 and 15. Movies make smoking look glamorous, rebellious and sexy, it’s not!
Smoking depicted in movies is a major and growing problem that needs to be addressed*. Research confirms that young people are almost three times more likely to start smoking** and if they see smoking in films and are 16 times more likely to develop positive feelings towards smoking if they see their favourite star light up on screen***.
If film producers, however do still believe that smoking is crucial to the character or story of their film they can still include it, I am just asking that it’s not in youth rated film.
In the interests of protecting children and young people from actual or potential harm, I am asking you the British Board of Film Classification to change how smoking in films are rated by giving future films that shows or implies tobacco an 18 rating. The only exceptions should be when the presentation of tobacco clearly and unambiguously reflects the dangers and consequences of tobacco use, and when it is necessary to represent the smoking of a real historical figure (for example, Winston Churchill).
Now that the rest of us know how harmful these images are combined with the fact that tobacco is still the number one cause of preventable disease, I would like to know how your organisation proposes to tackle this serious problem and what action you will be taking.
Yours Sincerely
CC:
CEO, Richard D, Parsons, Time Warner
CEO, Robert Iger, The Disney Company
CEO, Howard Stringer, Sony Corporation
Dan Glickman, President, Motion Picture Association of America
*Polansky J.R and Stanton G. (2007) First-Run Smoking Presentations in U.S. Movies 1999-2006.
**Dalton and Colleagues, 2003. Effects of viewing smoking in movies on adolescent smoking initiation, a cohort study
***SmokeFree Movies Smokefree Movies Website