Group calls for film smoking restrictions

An anti-smoking group in Liverpool wants films that feature smoking scenes to be automatically handed an 18 certificate.

SmokeFree Liverpool told BBC Radio 5 Live that it had been pushing for the change and had received backing from the local council.

"The international evidence... is that one in two children between 11 and 18 who witness smoking in movies actually experiment with - and therefore start - smoking themselves," said Andy Hull, chairman of SmokeFree.

However, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has branded the idea "heavy-handed".

"To simply classify a film 18 because people smoke in it would not be popular with the public," a spokeswoman said.

Dr Stacey Anderson from the UK Centre of Tobacco Control Studies said that the more children see smoking on screen, "the more likely they are to take up smoking".

Hull claimed that if the BBFC won't introduce the automatic 18 certificate they will consider adopting licensing laws to impose stricter ratings for local cinemas.

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