Hundreds of millions of American young people are exposed to vaping and smoking in popular movies, TV shows and music videos each year, according to the 7th annual “While You Were Streaming” report from the nonprofit Truth Initiative.
Tobacco depictions are down in the most popular Hollywood shows but they are heavily featured in programs like The Bear, Euphoria, and Stranger Things.
Dr. Jessica Rath, a behavioral scientist and senior vice president of Truth Initiative, said youth and young adults are three times more likely to start vaping when exposed to tobacco imagery in shows.
“Animated shows remain a consistent offender,” Rath emphasized. “Five out of six of the top 15 animated shows contain tobacco depictions and those are more popular with Gen Z than any other demographic.”
The report found in 2023, 70% of binge-watched streaming shows contained tobacco imagery, a 6% increase from the year before. Shows fueling the increase included “American Dad,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Never Have I Ever,” and “South Park.”
Rath noted her organization is working with entertainment companies and state attorneys general to get information added before or after the shows, like you might see for suicide prevention.
“Companies can roll advertisements with tested prevention messaging or quit line resources up in the top corner when the content that they’re showing contains tobacco,” Rath suggested.
The good news is youth vaping is actually at its lowest rate in a decade but smoking in entertainment threatens to reverse progress.
Truth Initiative developed a free resource to help people quit: Text “EXPROGRAM” to 88709.
