Tobacco remains very present in popular television series

According to the sixth edition of the report[1] According to the Truth Initiative's "While You Were Streaming" report, smoking remains a major part of popular TV shows, music videos and movies. Nine of the 10 Oscar-nominated films this year, with the exception of "Barbie," featured scenes of smoking. The report's authors say this helps normalize and glamorize smoking, especially among younger people.

The report found that tobacco depictions in popular TV shows among 15-24 year-olds more than doubled in 2022, exposing nearly 25 million teens and young adults. This increase was largely driven by the Netflix series “Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” which contained a third of all tobacco depictions. Tobacco depictions in binge-watching shows nearly quadrupled, highlighting a significant source of exposure for young people.

Almost all (99 %) of the behavioral placements in the television series examined in the study were traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and pipes; 1% were e-cigarettes.

Scenes of tobacco and nicotine consumption very present in television series

The report reveals that despite the strong presence of tobacco in Oscar-nominated films, the trend is downward for behavioral placements in films, with 35% of films released in 2022 (40 out of 114) containing tobacco imagery, compared to 47% in 2021 (53 out of 112). The number of representations has decreased overall. However, television series are seeing the opposite trend, with strong growth. While more than half (53 %) or 8 out of 15 of the most popular streaming shows among 15-24 year olds contain behavioral placements - down slightly from 60 % in 2021 - the number of representations of these products in these shows has nevertheless increased by 110 % from 425 in 2021 to 890 in 2022, thus exposing around 25 million young people to the consumption of tobacco products.

The eight series with the most smoking scenes are: (1) Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix), (2) Euphoria (HBO), (3) The Simpsons (Fox), (4) Stranger Things (Netflix), (5) The Walking Dead (AMC), (6) Family Guy (Fox), (7) Bob's Burgers (Fox), and (8) Law & Order (NBC).

The number of binge-watched shows containing smoking images increased from 56 % in 2021 to 64 % in 2022. The number of smoking scenes among these series almost quadrupled, from 537 to 2,002 incidents, partly due to the series “Peaky Blinders” broadcast on many streaming platforms, which has 893 smoking scenes in its sixth season alone.

Increased presence in music videos

Tobacco imagery in popular music videos also increased in 2022. Billboard’s analysis of the top songs in 2022 found that 28,000 (60 of 212) of songs with accompanying music videos contained 462 depictions and were viewed nearly 7 billion times. In 2021, 12.8% of music videos contained smoking scenes (290 depictions) and were viewed 2 billion times. Tobacco and nicotine products made 265 appearances in nearly half (45,000) of R&B/hip-hop music videos.

Traditional cigarettes remain the most represented tobacco product, but 2022 clips featured 27 depictions of e-cigarettes, compared to just one in 2021.

A screen presence that normalizes and glamorizes smoking

Three of the most popular and most-watched shows in 2022 featured scenes of underage smoking. The series Euphoria notably features characters under the age of 18 using tobacco. The animated Netflix show Big Mouth depicts smoking as a fun and relaxing activity and also features underage smoking. In Law & Order, two under-18 extras smoke to relax in a park near children.

The authors of the report say that this omnipresence of tobacco on screens contributes to normalizing and glamorizing tobacco use, particularly among young people. According to a 2012 study by the Surgeon General[2], people who are most exposed to smoking in movies are twice as likely to smoke as those who are least exposed. A 2020 study from the Truth Initiative, published in Preventive Medicine[3], was the first to establish a link between the presence of tobacco on screen and the use of e-cigarettes. Adolescents and young adults heavily exposed to popular television programs containing tobacco images are three times more likely to start vaping than their peers who are not exposed to them.

Keywords: TV series, streaming, Netflix, cinema, films, smoking, tobacco, Truth Initiative

©Tobacco Free Generation

AE

[1] Report, Lights, Camera, Tobacco?, Truth Initiative, published March 5, 2024, accessed March 7, 2024

[2] US Department of Health & Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. 2012.

[3] Bennett M, Hair EC, Liu M, Pitzer L, Rath JM, Vallone DM. Exposure to tobacco content in episodic programs and tobacco and E-cigarette initiation. Prev Med. 2020 Oct;139:106169. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106169. Epub 2020 Aug 1. PMID: 32750386.