R-rated Movies Research Articles

Prospective associations between Sleep, Sensation-Seeking and Mature Screen Usage in Early Adolescents: Findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

Early exposure to mature content is linked to high-risk behaviors. This study aims to prospectively investigate how sleep and sensation-seeking behaviors influence the consumption of mature video games and R-rated movies in early adolescents. A secondary analysis examines the bidirectional relationships between sleep patterns and mature screen usage. Data were obtained from a subsample of 3,687 early adolescents (49.2% female; mean age: 11.96 years) participating in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study. At Year 2 follow-up, participants wore Fitbit wearables for up to 21 nights to assess objective sleep measures and completed a scale about sensation-seeking traits. At Year 3 follow-up, they answered questions about mature screen usage. Of the sample, 41.8% of the sample reported playing mature-rated video games and 49% reported watching R-rated movies. Sensation-seeking traits were associated with R-rated movie watching one year later. Shorter sleep duration, later bedtime, more bedtime variability, and more social jetlag (discrepancy between the mid-sleep on weekdays and weekends) were associated with mature-rated video gaming and R-rated movie watching one year later. Sleep duration variability was associated with mature-rated video gaming. There was also an interaction effect: those with higher sensation-seeking scores and shorter sleep duration reported more frequent R-rated movie usage than those with longer sleep duration. Secondary analyses showed bidirectional associations between later bedtimes, more variability in bedtimes, and more social jetlag with mature screen usage. Early adolescents with sensation-seeking traits and poorer sleep health were more likely to engage in mature screen usage.

0214 Sleep Duration Moderates The Link Between Youth Impulsivity And Mature-Rated Media Usage One Year Later

Abstract Introduction Adolescents who evince higher levels of impulsive traits are more susceptible to early use of mature-rated gaming and watching R-rated movies. This is a major public health concern because exposure to mature-rated media in youth is associated with decreased empathy and aggressive behaviors later in life. However, not all youth with higher impulsive traits will be engaged in those risky media activities. Sleep is a critical bioregulatory behavior during adolescence, and shorter sleep duration is associated with decreased emotional regulation and attention span. Yet, few studies examined whether sleep duration moderates the association between impulsivity and risky media usage. Methods The current study examines the associations between sleep, impulsivity, and mature-rated video gaming and movie watching using longitudinal data of 2,757 early adolescents (49.3% female, Mage at 3-year follow-up=12.9 years, SD=0.65), collected through the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study® (2021, release 4.0). The participants’ weighted weekly sleep duration was measured via Fitbit watches for at least seven days at 2-year follow-up. Participants completed questionnaires about impulsivity via UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale at 2-year follow-up and R-rated movie watching and mature video gaming at 2- and 3-year follow-up. Structural equation modeling was conducted in Mplus 8.1 to test impulsivity and sleep duration’s direct and interaction effects on mature media use while controlling for bedtime screen use, parental monitoring, and demographic covariates. Results Higher impulsivity was predictive for more R-rated movie watching (β=0.09, p<.001) one year later. Shorter sleep duration was predictive for more mature video gaming (β=-0.05, p=.006) and R-rated movie watching (β=-0.07, p<.001) one year later. Sleep duration moderates the association between impulsivity and R-rated movie watching (β=-0.04, p=.03). Among youth with high impulsivity, shorter sleep duration was associated with an increased risk for R-rated movie watching. Conclusion Impulsivity is associated with R-rated movie watching, and short sleep duration (objectively measured with Fitbit) in early adolescence partially moderates the association between impulsivity and mature media usage. Sleep duration may be a modifiable factor for prevention and intervention efforts, especially in adolescents at higher risk for excessive mature-rated media usage. Support (if any) National Institutes of Health

Nutritional Analysis of Foods and Beverages Depicted in Top-Grossing US Movies, 1994-2018

Many countries now restrict advertisements for unhealthy foods. However, movies depict foods and beverages with nutritional quality that is unknown, unregulated, and underappreciated as a source of dietary influence. To compare nutritional content depicted in top-grossing US movies with established nutrition rating systems, dietary recommendations, and US individuals' actual consumption. In this qualitative study, a content analysis was performed from April 2019 to May 2020 of the 250 top-grossing US movies released from 1994 to 2018. The proportion of movies with less healthy nutrition ratings using the Nutrient Profile Index, the proportion of movies with medium or high food nutrition ratings according to the United Kingdom's "traffic light" guidelines (in which green is low and indicates the healthiest foods; amber, medium; and red is high and indicates the least healthy foods), and how the movie-depicted nutritional content compared with US Food and Drug Administration-recommended daily levels and US individuals' actual consumption according to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2016 data. Secondary outcomes compared branded and nonbranded items and tested whether outcomes changed over time or for movies targeting youths. Across 9198 foods and 5748 beverages, snacks and sweets (2173 [23.6%]) and alcoholic beverages (2303 [40.1%]) were most commonly depicted. Alcohol comprised 23 of 127 beverages (18.1%) in G-rated movies, 268 of 992 beverages (27.0%) in PG-rated movies, 1503 of 3592 beverages (41.8%) in PG-13-rated movies, and 509 of 1037 beverages (49.1%) in R-rated movies. Overall, 178 of 245 movies (72.7%) earned less healthy Nutrient Profile Index food ratings and 222 of 246 movies (90.2%) earned less healthy beverage ratings, which would be unhealthy enough to fail legal limits for advertising to youths in the United Kingdom. Among foods, most movies depicted medium or high (amber or red traffic light) levels of sugar (229 of 245 [93.5%]), saturated fat (208 of 245 [84.9%]), total fat (228 of 245 [93.1%]), and, to a lesser extent, sodium (123 of 245 [50.2%]). Only 1721 foods and beverages (11.5%) were visibly branded, but branded items received less healthy nutrition ratings than nonbranded items. Overall, movies failed recommended levels of saturated fat per 2000 kcal by 25.0% (95% CI, 20.6%-29.9%), sodium per 2000 kcal by 3.9% (95% CI, 0.2%-7.9%), and fiber per 2000 kcal by 45.1% (95% CI, 42.9%-47.0%). Movies also depicted 16.5% (95% CI, 12.3%-21.0%) higher total sugar content per 2000 kcal and 313% (95% CI, 298%-329%) higher alcohol content per 2000 kcal than US individuals consume. Neither food nor beverage nutrition scores improved over time or among movies targeting youths. This study suggests that popular US movies depict an unhealthy diet that fails national dietary recommendations, akin to US individuals' actual diets. Depicting unhealthy consumption in media is a sociocultural problem that extends beyond advertisements and branded product placements.

Does Hollywood Make Too Many R-Rated Movies?: Risk, Stochastic Dominance, and the Illusion of Expectation

This paper estimates the probability distributions of budgets, revenues, returns and profits to G-, PG-, PG13-, and R-rated movies. The distributions are non-Gaussian and show a self-similar stable Paretian form with non-finite variance and non-stationary mean. We stochastically rank these distributions to investigate film critic Michael Medved's argument that Hollywood overproduces R-rated movies. The evidence shows that the industry's critics and its shareholders can agree that Hollywood does make too many trashy movies. The profit distributions have aysmmetric tails which means that Hollywood could trim its downside risk while increasing its upside possibilities by shifting production dollars out of R-rated movies into G, PG, and even PG13 movies. Stars who are willing to appear in edgy, counterculture R-rated movies for their prestige value may induce an illusion of expectation leading a studio to greenlight movies that have biased expectations.

Screen time and problem behaviors in children: exploring the mediating role of sleep duration

BackgroundPrevious research examining the relationship between screen time (ST) and psychological health outcomes have primarily focused on one type of ST (i.e., television), while little research has considered other types of screens (e.g., videos, movies, social media), screen content (e.g., violent video games), or potential mediating variables. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to assess ST types and content and their association with problem behaviors, and to determine whether these relationships were mediated by sleep duration.MethodsParents and children provided cross-sectional baseline data (2016–18) as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, a broadly US representative sample of 11,875 children aged 9 to 10 years. Parents self-reported their children’s emotional and behavioral syndromes via the Child Behavior Checklist and sleep duration using one item from the Parent Sleep Disturbance Scale. Children self-reported their ST behavior, which comprised ST types (television/movies, videos, video games, and social media) and content (mature-rated video games and R-rated movies).ResultsTime spent in various ST types was positively associated with problem behaviors: watching television/movies was associated with a 5.9% increase in rule-breaking behavior (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.059), 5% increase in social problems (IRR = 1.050), 4% increase in aggressive behavior (IRR = 1.040), and 3.7% increase in thought problems (IRR = 1.037). Greater time spent playing mature-rated video games was associated with greater somatic complaints (IRR = 1.041), aggressive behavior (IRR = 1.039), and reduced sleep duration (IRR = .938). Sleep duration mediated the relationship between ST (type and content) and problem behaviors, albeit the effect sizes were small. The largest effects were observed between sleep duration and all problem behaviors, with greater sleep duration predicting an 8.8–16.6% decrease in problem behaviors (IRRs ranging from .834 to .905).ConclusionGreater time spent in ST behavior was associated with greater problem behaviors among children. There was strong evidence that longer sleep duration was associated with reduced problem behaviors. While sleep duration mediated the effects of ST on problem behaviors, other potential mediating variables need to be investigated in future research.

Parental Restriction of Movie Viewing Prospectively Predicts Adolescent Alcohol and Marijuana Initiation: Implications for Media Literacy Programs

Youth are heavy consumers of media, and exposure to mature media content is associated with initiation and progression of substance use. Parental restriction of such content has been shown to be an effective mechanism to reduce negative consequences attributed to exposure to mature media content. This study assessed the influence of parental restriction of movie watching across Motion Picture Association of America rating categories on subsequent alcohol and marijuana initiation at 1- and 2-year follow-up. Using data from a longitudinal study of adolescent substance use (N = 1023), we used logistic regression analyses to determine the odds of alcohol and marijuana initiation across movie rating categories, within R-rated restriction categories in particular, and based on changes in parental restriction of movies over time. All analyses controlled for important parental, personality, and behavioral correlates of adolescent substance use. Results suggest that restriction of R-rated movies is protective of both alcohol and marijuana initiation. Important differences among parental restriction of R-rated movie categories emerged such that being allowed to watch them with adult supervision was protective of substance use, while those who reported watching R-rated films despite parental restrictions were at heightened risk for alcohol initiation. Changes in parental movie restrictions were not predictive of substance use initiation over the subsequent year. Implications of these findings for media literacy program prevention strategies are discussed.

Second Coming

Second Coming Chelyen Davis (bio) I had known all my life the world would end with the new millennium, that Jesus would return and save the faithful and leave the wicked, and that girls who didn’t want to be left behind had better behave. I knew this because my father told me, me and the rest of the congregation at the Little Martha Church of the Word. As a [End Page 11] preacher he knew how to read the signs. The Bible was clear, Daddy said, and the world was clearer. The wicked were ascendant, you had only to look around you at society and the kinds of sin people were getting up to these days to see it. Why, the President of the United States had committed adultery. Even the news people on TV warned that doom would strike on New Year’s Eve, that every bit of technology that propped up our world would come crashing down. The TV people called it the Y2K but Daddy called it the Tribulation. Chaos would sweep in, he said, the lights wouldn’t work and the gas pumps wouldn’t work and the computers would go haywire and the banks would shut down and we had just better hope that Jesus would rescue us from these turbulent waters. “I never trusted that old Internet,” sniffed my mother, who had never used it. In school we had a computer lab and we had been taught how to make simple little codes, programs that would solve easy math problems. Our teacher mentioned getting electronic messages that passed invisibly through the air. But there was no computer in our house, no invisible messages from the air except from God, handed down to my father at night as he read his Bible and delivered by him Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights in the little wood-paneled sanctuary, sometimes thumping his hand down on the pulpit, sometimes pacing the faded red carpet at the front of the room. “Y’all had better look to your lives,” Daddy said, “and get right with God, because that Second Coming that’s been foretold is near. It’s knocking at the door. The signs don’t lie! Will you be ready to open that door?” He would point to different people in the church, emphasizing his point. “Amen,” we said back, “praise Jesus.” If, in our deepest hearts, we weren’t sure if we were ready to open the door, we didn’t speak it. [End Page 12] Daddy spoke of the coming End Times more and more regularly as summer of 1999 turned toward fall. If we were all going to Heaven at the end of December then I didn’t see a whole lot of point to school work, but my teachers did not share my view. Mr. Rice, the math teacher, looked at me oddly when I said God would crash the computers and sweep up the saved and that therefore I would not need to learn algebra. Then he smiled tightly and said it wouldn’t hurt me to learn it anyway. “Who do you think gave us math, Ruthie, but God?” Mr. Rice asked. “It is far too logical to come from chance and chaos. I’m sure Noah found mathematics to be helpful. So you might need it after you’ve been…swept up.” I was not entirely clear on how the actual Rapture was supposed to work. Daddy’s sermons were big on the Signs but short on the logistics. Would we levitate, like the girl who was possessed by the Devil in a movie I watched at my friend Birdie’s house even though I wasn’t supposed to see R-rated movies? If we levitated, how far would it be, and would we run out of oxygen? I had learned in science class that the earth’s atmosphere thinned. Would we just disappear here and reappear in Heaven? That seemed more efficient, but if we did, would we be in our regular clothes or were the robes issued on the way? Should I learn to play a harp now, or would there be lessons? Birdie said I was being...

The Role of Sensation Seeking and R-rated Movie Watching in Early Substance Use Initiation.

Adolescence is a time of heightened impulsivity as well as substantial exposure to the effects of popular media. Specifically, R-rated movie content and sensation seeking have been shown to be individually and multiplicatively associated with early alcohol initiation, as well as to mutually influence one another over time. The present study attempts to replicate and extend these findings to cigarette and marijuana use, considering several peer, parental, and individual correlates, as well as substance-specific movie exposure, among 1023 youth (mean age 12.4 years, 52% female), using a combination of cross-lagged path models, latent growth models, and discrete-time survival models. Changes over time were associated between R-rated movie watching and sensation seeking, and both individually, not multiplicatively, predicted earlier alcohol initiation. R-rated movie watching (but not sensation seeking) also predicted earlier smoking and marijuana initiation. Parental R-rated movie restriction may thus potentially delay smoking and marijuana initiation as well as adolescent drinking.

Distribution strategy and movie performance: an empirical note

This paper examines the Italian movie industry and documents a significant role of distribution strategy affecting film success. While the evidence is consistent with the positive “rent capture” effect of star artists (Ravid in J Bus 72:463–492, 1999), the crucial role of famous directors (John et al. in Working Paper, New York University, 2004), their experience (John et al. in Working Paper, New York University, 2004), the significant impact of critics (Basuroy et al. in J Market 67: 103–117 2003), financing strategies (Palia et al. in Rev Financ Stud 21(2):483–511, 2008), and stock market reactions (Einav and Ravid in J Cultural Econ 33, 311–319, 2009), this paper adds the crucial role of distribution power, such as the alliance with reputable foreign distributer and the choice of theatre location, in revenue success and endurance in the market. Additionally, we find evidence of success for specialization in comics but not in R-rated action movies (Ravid and Basuroy in J Bus 77:155–192, 2004).

Violent Film Characters’ Portrayal of Alcohol, Sex, and Tobacco-Related Behaviors

To determine the extent to which movies popular with adolescents feature characters who jointly engage in violence and other risk behaviors. We hypothesized that violent characters engage in other risk behaviors equally often in films rated appropriate for children over 12 (PG-13) and Restricted (R)-rated films. Content analysis of a sample of top-grossing movies from 1985 to 2010 (n = 390). We coded movies for the presence of at least 1 main character who was involved in violence and either sex, tobacco, or alcohol use within a 5-minute movie segment and throughout a film. Approximately 90% of the movies contained a segment with a main character involved in violence, and ~77% of the films had the same character engaging in at least 1 other risk behavior. A violent character was portrayed most often partaking in alcohol-related and sexual behaviors. G and PG movies had less co-occurrence than PG-13 or R-rated movies, but there was no statistical difference between PG-13 and R-rated movies with regards to violence co-occurring with other risk behaviors. These trends did not vary over time. Popular films that contain violent characters also show those characters engaging in other risk behaviors. Similar rates of co-occurrence between PG-13 and R-rated films suggest that the Motion Picture Association of America ratings system is not sensitive to the joint portrayal of violence and alcohol, sex, and tobacco-related risk behaviors. The on-screen clustering of violence with other risk behaviors is cause for concern and worthy of additional research.

The Effects of R-Rated Movies on Adolescent and Young Adult Religiosity: Media as Self-Socialization

Arnett (J Youth Adolesc 24:519–533, 1995 ) has suggested that media are a form of self-socialization, meaning that people choose the media they consume and in turn become socialized into certain beliefs and values. Research has suggested that viewing R-rated movies may lead to decreases in religiosity (Barry et al. in J Adult Deviance 19:66–78, 2012 ), but the direction of causality in this study is questionable. This research improves upon Barry, Padilla-Walker, and Nelson's study by including control variables for peer and family influence while utilizing panel data for longitudinal data analysis. Findings from the 2003, 2005, and 2007–2008 waves of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) suggest that viewing R-rated movies does indeed lead to decreases in church attendance and salience of religious faith, but it does not influence certainty and selective acceptance of religious beliefs. These results are discussed in light of self-socialization and their implications for how future studies might examine the relationship between R-rated movies and religiosity.

Religiosity as a Potential Moderator of the Effects of R-rated Movies on Delinquency

Previous research suggests viewing R-rated movies is associated with delinquency (Tanski et al. 2010; Titus-Ernstoff et al. 2008), while religiosity leads to decreases in substance use (Jang and Johnson 2001; Kovacs, Piko, and Fitzpatrick 2011; Miller 1998; Regnerus 2003). However, the influences of religiosity and viewing R-rated movies have not been examined in conjunction. This article tests whether religiosity moderates the effects of R-rated movies on delinquency, results suggesting that rather than religiosity moderating the effects of R-rated movies on delinquency, viewing R-rated movies actually tempers the pro-social effects of religiosity. This finding only held true for certain types of substance abuse, and not activity-based forms of delinquency such as fighting. The results are discussed in light of their implications for the current study of the effects of religiosity on delinquency, and suggestions are made for future research on the relationship between viewing R-rated movies and delinquency.

Smoking in Top-Grossing US Movies, 2011

We reviewed the number of incidents of tobacco use (almost exclusively smoking) depicted in movies in the United States in 2011 to compare that with previously reported trends. We counted use or implied use of a tobacco product by an actor in all movies whose box office gross ranked in the top 10 for at least 1 week. Total tobacco incidents per movie rose 7% from 2010 to 2011, ending 5 years of decline; incidents rose 34% per movie rated G, PG, or PG-13 and 7% per R-rated movie. The reversal of progress toward less onscreen smoking in youth-rated movies underscores the need to rate movies with tobacco imagery as R, establishing an industry-wide market incentive to keep youth-marketed movies tobacco-free.

Influence of motion picture rating on adolescent response to movie smoking.

To examine the association between movie smoking exposure (MSE) and adolescent smoking according to rating category. A total of 6522 US adolescents were enrolled in a longitudinal survey conducted at 8-month intervals; 5503 subjects were followed up at 8 months, 5019 subjects at 16 months, and 4575 subjects at 24 months. MSE was estimated from 532 recent box-office hits, blocked into 3 Motion Picture Association of America rating categories: G/PG, PG-13, and R. A survival model evaluated time to smoking onset. Median MSE in PG-13-rated movies was ∼3 times higher than median MSE from R-rated movies, but their relation with smoking was essentially the same, with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.49 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23-1.81) and 1.33 (95% CI: 1.23-1.81) for each additional 500 occurrences of MSE respectively. MSE from G/PG-rated movies was small and had no significant relationship with adolescent smoking. Attributable risk estimates showed that adolescent smoking would be reduced by 18% (95% CI: 14-21) if smoking in PG-13-rated movies was reduced to the fifth percentile. In comparison, making all parents maximally authoritative in their parenting would reduce adolescent smoking by 16% (95% CI: 12-19). The equivalent effect of PG-13-rated and R-rated MSE suggests it is the movie smoking that prompts adolescents to smoke, not other characteristics of R-rated movies or adolescents drawn to them. An R rating for movie smoking could substantially reduce adolescent smoking by eliminating smoking from PG-13 movies.

Movies with smoking make less money

ObjectiveTo determine the relationship between presence of smoking in films and total box office receipts.MethodsRegression analysis of box office receipts as a function of film rating, production budget, year of...

Are Violent Video Games a First-Amendment Issue?

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article ViewpointsFull AccessAre Violent Video Games a First-Amendment Issue?Louis KrausLouis KrausSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:16 Sep 2011https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.46.18.psychnews_46_18_16_1On June 27, in a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law banning the sale of violent video games to children. The majority argument for the ruling was that banning the sale of these games to children is a violation of First Amendment rights protecting free speech. The California law would have imposed a $1,000 fine on stores selling violent video games to minors. Predictably, representatives of the video-gaming industry expressed strong support of the Supreme Court decision. California legislators, however, most of whom voted to pass the video-game restriction, felt that this ruling exemplified the high court majority's support and protection of corporate America under the mantle of First Amendment rights. In my opinion, this is not a First Amendment issue. The issue here, tragically overlooked by the Supreme Court, is the health and protection of America's children. As studies emerge on the impact of video games on children's growth and development, it is becoming increasingly clear that playing violent video games is correlated with increases in aggressive behaviors and aggressive cognitions in children. And the violence depicted in video games is becoming more realistic as computer graphics become ever more sophisticated. Some of the most popular games, and in particular first-person shooter games, depict the killing of people and animals in graphic detail. Drug and alcohol use, criminal behavior, disrespect toward authority and law, sexual exploitation and violence toward women, racial and gender stereotyping, and obscene language—the list of images these video games present to children is lengthy and distressing. A child cannot view an R-rated movie without parental consent or purchase pornographic magazines, so it is unfathomable that the Supreme Court has made other images that are clearly unsuitable for children readily available, via video games, for purchase by youngsters of any age. The majority of children in the United States play video games. The exact number of hours per week spent on video gaming remains unclear, although it is likely far more than the maximum two hours per day recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. What is clear, however, is that children are spending increasing amounts of time playing video games and that many of these games have extremely violent content. Moreover, beyond the impact of the violence, time spent playing video games has additional deleterious effects on children's health. Children who spend large amounts of time playing video games get less exercise and spend less time with family, engaged in positive social activities, and doing homework. This can result in poor social skills, poor academics, and poor physical health—consequences that will not quickly be ameliorated. Proponents of the Supreme Court decision will point to parents as the ones responsible for determining appropriate video-game content for their children. Often, however, parents lack an understanding of the current rating system, which can be confusing and misleading. Patents tend to buy games based on what their children say their friends have or on what they are told by clerks in the stores that sell the games. Do we really want store clerks recommending which games are appropriate for children? I strongly believe that not only should there be limitations on selling violent games to youngsters, but that the deleterious effects of the games on children should be clearly spelled out on the label. This is no different from a Food and Drug Administration "black box" warning prominently displayed on a variety of products from cigarettes to antidepressants. This type of warning would make parents aware of the potential for harm to children associated with involvement in these games. In reality, many products that are appropriate for adults are simply inappropriate for children, and we must protect children from the harmful impact of these products on their health and development. It is imperative for experts in child and adolescent mental health and physical health to explain this to the courts and to refocus the debate away from the First Amendment issue to the issue of what is in the best interests of our children. Louis Kraus, M.D., is chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. ISSUES NewArchived

Government inaction on ratings and government subsidies to the US film industry help promote youth smoking.

Research indicates that exposure to tobacco imagery in movies is a potent cause [1] of youth experimentation and progression to established smoking [2]–[4], with a dose-response relationship that indicates heavily exposed youths are about three times as likely to begin smoking as lightly exposed youths [1]. Links between exposure to tobacco imagery in movies and initiation of smoking among youth have been documented in several countries with distinct cultures, diverse tobacco regulatory regimes (including varying controls on advertising), and different smoking prevalences [5]–[8]. This evidence led the World Health Organization (WHO) to recommend [2] as part of implementing Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) [9] that all future movies with scenes of smoking (and other tobacco) be given an adult content rating, with the possible exception of movies that depict the dangers of tobacco use or smoking by an actual historical figure who actually smoked. The primary logic for recommending an adult content rating policy is to create an economic incentive for producers to leave smoking out of movies that are marketed to youths. A 2005 study in the US concluded that the return on investment for youth-rated movies was 70%, compared with 29% for adult content (R-rated) movies [10]. Essentially eliminating smoking and other tobacco imagery from youth-rated films would substantially reduce the total exposure of onscreen smoking images delivered to youth. (In addition, while youth do see some adult-rated films, they are less likely to see them than youth-rated films.) This adult rating recommendation has not yet been widely adopted. Even more problematic, many governments provide generous subsidies to the US film industry to produce youth-rated films that contain smoking and as such indirectly promote youth smoking. This paper describes, firstly, the status of implementing the WHO recommendation on adult content ratings in Great Britain, Canada, and the US. Secondly, it examines how film industry subsidies are administered in these countries, including the magnitude of subsidies for youth-rated films containing smoking, and compares these subsidies with spending on tobacco control programmes.

Association of Smoking Onset With R-Rated Movie Restrictions and Adolescent Sensation Seeking

In this study, we examined how often US youths reported having complete parental restrictions on watching R-rated movies. In addition, we assessed the relationship between parental R-rated movie restrictions and adolescents' sensation seeking and how this interplay is related to smoking onset. Data from a 4-wave longitudinal study of 6522 adolescents (10-14 years of age) who were recruited through a random-digit-dial telephone survey were used. At baseline, subjects were nationally representative of the US population. Subjects were monitored for 2 years and queried about their smoking status, their sensation-seeking propensity, and how often they were allowed to watch R-rated movies. A cross-lagged model combined with survival analysis was used to assess the relationships between parental R-rated movie restrictions, sensation-seeking propensity, and risk for smoking onset. Findings demonstrated that 32% of the US adolescents reported being completely restricted from watching R-rated movies by their parents. Model findings revealed that adolescents' sensation seeking was related to greater risk for smoking onset not only directly but also indirectly through their parents becoming more permissive of R-rated movie viewing. Parental R-rated movie restrictions were found to decrease the risk of smoking onset directly and indirectly by changing children's sensation seeking. These findings imply that, beyond direct influences, the relationship between adolescents' sensation seeking and parental R-rated movie restrictions in explaining smoking onset is bidirectional in nature. Finally, these findings highlight the relevance of motivating and supporting parents in limiting access to R-rated movies.

Interplay Between R-Rated Movie Restrictions and Sensation Seeking Explaining Smoking Initiation

Interplay Between R-Rated Movie Restrictions and Sensation Seeking Explaining Smoking Initiation

The Influence of Youth Music Television Viewership on Changes in Cigarette Use and Association With Smoking Peers: A Social Identity, Reinforcing Spirals Perspective

Prior research has found strong evidence of a prospective association between R movie exposure and teen smoking. Using parallel process latent-growth modeling, the present study examines prospective associations between viewing of music video channels on television (e.g., MTV and VH-1) and changes over time in smoking and association with smoking peers. Results showed that baseline viewing of music-oriented channels such as MTV and VH-1 robustly predicted increasing trajectories of smoking and of associating with smoking peers, even after application of a variety of controls including parent reports of monitoring behavior. These results are consistent with the arguments from the reinforcing spirals model that such media use serves as a means of developing emergent adolescent social identities consistent with associating with smoking peers and acquiring smoking and other risk behaviors; evidence also suggests that media choice in reinforcing spiral processes are dynamic and evolve as social identity evolves.