Movie group slaps new restrictions on smoking

LOS ANGELES, May 11 (Reuters) Attention film producers: smoking may now be hazardous to your movies.

The film industry group that rates US movies in terms of their suitability for children yesterday unveiled new rules affecting tobacco use in films that would stop children from seeing movies that glorified on-screen smoking.

The Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA, said that in the past, illegal teen smoking has been just one factor in rating films, alongside other parental concerns such as sex, violence and adult language.

But now smoking itself will be considered as a factor and depictions that glamorize smoking, or movies that feature pervasive smoking, may receive ratings that do not allow children into theaters to see them.

The MPAA classifies movies suitable for all children as ''G,'' whereas an ''R'' rating restricts audiences to people 17 years or older, among its ratings.

The industry group has long been under pressure from several health groups to ban children from seeing characters light up in movies, and the MPAA's decision fell short of that goal.

MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman said in a statement, ''The rating board ... will now consider smoking as a factor, among many other factors, including violence, sexual situations and language, in the rating of films''.

''Clearly, smoking is increasingly an unacceptable behavior in our society. There is broad awareness of smoking as a unique public health concern due to nicotine's highly addictive nature, and no parent wants their child to take up the habit. The appropriate response of the rating system is to give more information to parents on this issue.'' Glickman said while some people have called for a 'mandatory R' rating on all films containing any smoking, the MPAA does not believe such a step would further its goal of getting more information to parents on this issue.

The MPAA said films whose rating is impacted by tobacco use will now include phrases such as ''glamorized smoking'' or ''pervasive smoking'' in their description.

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