In Movies and Online

Reality Check youth leaders are educating and mobilizing their peers, schools, parents and other key leaders to influence decision makers in the movie and media industry to create changes that protect our children.

Reality Check youth in Putnam, Orange, Westchester and Rockland Counties have teamed up to educate about smoking in films through speaking to the media, advocating with the Motion Picture Association of American, held letter writing campaigns and participating in International Week of Action annually. The tobacco industry uses tobacco imagery and brand identification in movies, television shows and the internet to both normalize and glamorize tobacco use to kids.

To get involved, contact POW’R Against Tobacco:

Dana Heller, Danna.Heller@lung.org

Did you know smoking in movies kills in real life?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2014 that 6.4 million children alive today will become smokers because of this exposure.

Surgeon General’s report

According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report in 2012, “the evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between depictions of smoking in the movies and the initiation of smoking among young people.” PG-13 films account for nearly two-thirds of the smoking scenes adolescents see on the big screen.

For more information please visit the Reality Check website here: