Tobacco in pop culture

Smoking and vaping in movies and TV popular among young people can influence them to start using tobacco products, but the entertainment and pop culture industry continue to allow this content to run rampant, contributing to the normalization of smoking and vaping and it's portrayal as glamorous, rebellious, and edgy.

These images have influence, especially among youth and young adults, who are uniquely susceptible to social and environmental influences to use tobacco. Research shows that exposure to smoking imagery in streaming shows can triple a young person’s odds of starting to vape, building on established research that smoking in films influences young people to smoke.

Explore our research and resources on tobacco in pop culture and entertainment.