However, institutions like the MPAA have decided to rate movies according to the use of Tobacco in them. In their defense, such a ban is justified as the young generation gets easily influenced by the smoking shown in movies. Movies rated PG, PG-13, etc are more strictly scrutinized by the censor associations, which are viewed by a majority of children and is accessible to a large population of youth.

It’s true that young minds are very vulnerable and often end up imitating without realizing whatever is shown on the screen. The issue of smoking is not as dangerous as other bad influences that movies endorse. Banning smoking on screen would not result in preventing children from smoking as much would warning them against it. A statutory warning before a film can easily suffice instead of a complete ban. Cigarettes sometimes help in the development of a character & add to its design. Therefore, banning smoking would definitely hurt the freedom of expression of artists. Sometimes, state of mind of a character is better expressed through smoke than words. Authorities should work on more serious issues that contaminate the minds of adolescents and teenagers. These could include, violent and destructive acts, exposure to indecent content,etc, than smoking which can be discouraged by medical and educational institutions.