Hollywood film producers have beaten a lawsuit which alleged that the depiction of tobacco use in films rated as appropriate for children led directly to deaths from smoking. “In 2012 the surgeon general concluded that the scientific evidence established that exposure of children to tobacco imagery in films causes children to smoke,” the lawsuit said. It said the ratings system is not intended to “prescribe socially-appropriate values”, but to offer guidance based on what most American parents would think about a film’s suitability for children. Forsyth contended that all films depicting smoking should receive the restrictive R rating, meaning that anyone under 17 should be accompanied to cinemas by a parent or guardian. There have been laws in place restricting paid product placement of tobacco since 1998, and the MPAA’s rating system has taken instances of smoking into account since 2007.

Source: The Guardian November 11, 2016 17:50 UTC