On-Screen Tobacco Imagery Surges: Report  

Tobacco imagery is surging in shows, social media, music videos and movies—including nearly every Best Picture nominee at the 2024 Academy Awards—according to the Truth Initiative.

The Truth Initiative says this development is concerning because exposure to such images makes young people up to three times more likely to start vaping, according to research. In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that youth and young adults were twice as likely to smoke compared to those with less exposure.

Titled Lights, Camera, Tobacco?, the Truth Initiative report reveals that the number of tobacco depictions in streaming shows popular among 15-year-olds to 24-year-olds more than doubled in 2022, exposing nearly 25 million young people. The rise was largely driven by Netflix’s Dahmer—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which contained a third of all tobacco depictions. The number of tobacco depictions in binge-watched shows nearly quadrupled, highlighting a significant source of exposure.

“Tobacco imagery plays a bigger role in youth and young adult tobacco initiation than many people realize, so this report intends to educate the Hollywood community about the impact these shows are having,” said Truth Initiative CEO and President Kathy Crosby. “As youth e-cigarette use continues to remain a public health threat, the entertainment industry has an opportunity to play a significant role in protecting young people’s physical and mental health by clearing the smoke-filled screens.”