US put up smoke screen

Films which feature smoking should be given an adult rating, says a US report.

15:16 10 March 2004

Films which feature smoking should be given an adult rating, says a US report.

The study, by the University of California, has said that smoking in films should have the same effect on the rating as swearing.

The author of the report, professor Stanton Glantz, claimed films like 'Chicago' should get adult ratings as they include smoking.

'No one is saying there should never be any smoking in the movies,' he said. 'What we're simply asking for is that smoking be treated by Hollywood as seriously as it treats offensive language.'

'If you use the 'F' word twice you get an 'R' rating. If you use it once in a sexual context, you get an 'R' rating. Hollywood needs to take addicting people and killing them as seriously as it takes using offensive language, and there should be an 'R' rating for smoking in films.'

Professor Glantz wants studios to think about the effect of having smoking in films on children.

Films highlighted include '102 Dalmatians', 'Secondhand Lions' and 'What a Girl Wants' - all of which were aimed at young audiences.

A study of 775 American films made over the last five years found that almost 80 per cent PG-13 movies featured smoking, 50 per cent of films deemed suitable for younger audiences also included tobacco use.

The report calls for more PG-13 films with smoking in them given an R-rating.