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Films which depict smoking should have an R-rating and the theatres in which such movies are shown should air anti-smoking hoardings, according to the American Medical Association. The AMA said that a recent survey has shown increasing support to changing the film industry policy and concern over the display of smoking in children's films. Dr. Cheryl Healton of the American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking advocacy group called on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to give those films that depict smoking an R-rating.
"Though we have convinced the public, we have not convinced the policy makers. As more movies are given the PG-13 label, more smoking in the movies is youth related. We urge the MPAA to include smoking in the (R-label). The public health community cannot be the only voice", Dr Healton said. The survey was carried out among more than 1800 adults across the country and found that 81 percent of them believed that children are more likely to take up smoking as they see their favorite stars doing it on the screen, while 70 percent of the surveyed thought that such movies should be given an R-rating, which 59 percent of adult smokers too agreed. A recent research has shown that over 390,000 teens start to smoke each year as they follow their stars on the screen. "We cannot discount the impact movies have on influencing children to smoke. We must elevate the conversation to a whole new level, one that is not just about censorship but about social responsibility", Dr Healton added.
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