Netflix Promises to Reduce Depictions of Tobacco in Furture Projects
In the wake of a new report concluding that tobacco use on television is on the rise, Netflix has pledged to cut back on depictions of smoking in future programs.
CNN reports that the streaming service has issued a statement explaining their decision, saying: “Going forward, all new projects that we commission with ratings of TV-14 or below for series or PG-13 or below for films, will be smoking and e-cigarette free — except for reasons of historical or factual accuracy.” Netflix also added that characters will also avoid tobacco use on new projects for adult audiences unless “it's essential to the creative vision of the artist or because it's character-defining (historically or culturally important).”
Additionally, the streaming service plans to inform its viewers about tobacco content more explicitly. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, a Netflix spokesperson explained: “Starting later this year, smoking information will be included as part of our ratings on the Netflix service so our members can make informed choices about what they watch.”
As noted by Variety, Netflix’s decision comes on the heels of a new study conducted by The Truth Initiative, a nonprofit organization “committed to making tobacco use a thing of the past.” Their July 2019 “While You Were Streaming” study analyzed more than 400 episodes, or 350 hours, of the most popular television shows both on broadcast networks and streaming services, with Netflix being dubbed the most popular of the latter category.
While comparing the 2015-16 television season with 2016-17, The Truth Initiative determined that there was a notable increase in the number of tobacco depictions on screen, including shows aimed at young people. The report also concluded that Netflix programs display more tobacco use than broadcast or cable, pointing out that Stranger Things depicts smoking in 100% of its episodes during the first two seasons, making it the series that shows the “most tobacco overall.”
Television certainly isn’t alone in its depiction of tobacco; as noted by CNN, the CDC has studied tobacco use in films, determining in a 2017 report that “the total number of tobacco incidents in top-grossing movies increased” between the years 2010 and 2016. A study from the National Cancer Institute called the depiction of smoking in movies “pervasive,” adding: “The total weight of evidence from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental studies indicates a causal relationship between exposure to depictions of smoking in movies and youth smoking initiation.”
According to The Truth Initiative, reducing the number of depictions of tobacco on screen is just one piece of the puzzle. The organization has called upon television execs to enforce stricter rating systems and run anti-tobacco ads before and during programming, and they also urge lawmakers to adjust their film production subsidy policies in order to “provide tax and other incentives only for productions that do not promote tobacco use.”
Most notably, the report concludes that more research is needed to fully understand the ways in which tobacco depictions can impact young people. “While it is reasonable to conclude that exposure to tobacco use in TV has an impact on smoking behavior similar to tobacco depictions in movies, further research would be valuable to fully understand this effect given the ubiquity of TV and streaming video content,” the report states, adding: “We cannot allow young people, who are already the most vulnerable to initiate smoking, to continue to be inundated with tobacco imagery.”
Related: This New Study Shows Just How Many Teens Smoke Pot and Cigarettes
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
