Youth Exposure to Tobacco in Movies in Ontario, Canada: 2002-2018

Movies are a powerful vehicle for promoting tobacco use. Of particular concern is youth exposure to tobacco use in movies. This report examines onscreen tobacco exposure among Ontario youth over the period 2012 to 2018. In Ontario, over half of top-grossing movies (56%) featured tobacco. Of the movies with tobacco content, 87% were youth-rated. Impacts of this exposure include new smokers recruited, increased tobacco associated mortality and increased health-care costs. Requiring adult ratings (18A) for all movie that contains tobacco imagery would considerably decrease smoking initiation among youth.