Films making teens smoke

Teens who watch films that show actors smoking are more likely than others to smoke, according to a new report.

The report by Bristol University looked at the influence of some of the 360 top films released between 2001 and 2005 that show actors smoking, including films like Spider-Man, Bridget Jones and The Matrix. It found that teens who saw the most of these films were 73% more likely to have smoked than those who saw the least of these films. And they were 50% more likely to be smokers now.

Lead researcher Dr Andrea Waylen told reporters, “We saw a linear relationship between teenage smoking and the number of films they had seen depicting smoking.” She added that only people aged 18 or older should be allowed to watch films that show people smoking, as this would lower the number of teens who smoke.