Adolescents Frequently Exposed to Smoking Scenes in Media Show Permissive Attitudes Toward Smoking

Survey of 3,384 Middle and High School Students
Adolescent Smoking Experience Rate at 4.2%

A study has found that adolescents who frequently see smoking scenes in the media are more likely to have a permissive attitude toward smoking.

According to the paper "The Impact of Exposure to Smoking Scenes in the Media on Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Smoking" published in the latest issue of the Korea Youth Research Journal on June 14, a survey conducted by the research team among 3,384 middle and high school students between August and September last year showed that the smoking experience rate was 4.2%. This is about one-fourth the adult smoking rate (17.9%) as of last year.

No Smoking Sign

The adolescent smoking rate was higher among boys (5.9%) than girls (2.2%), and higher among high school students (6.4%) than middle school students (2.2%).

The most common initial smoking experience was reported in the second year of middle school. Among respondents, 1.25% of middle school students and 1.04% of high school students said they had first tried smoking when they were elementary school students or in the first year of middle school. The research team analyzed this as evidence of a trend toward younger ages for initial smoking among adolescents.

The researchers particularly noted that adolescents who frequently see smoking scenes in the media are more likely to develop a permissive attitude toward smoking.

When asked, "Do you often see scenes of people smoking in media such as TV, movies, and YouTube?" 44.3% responded "Yes," while 30.4% responded "No." The most frequently used media were short-form content, YouTube, and social networking services (SNS).

Adolescents who were frequently exposed to smoking scenes in the media tended to perceive characters who smoke as attractive. In addition, compared to adolescents who were not exposed to such scenes, those who were showed a statistically significantly higher level of permissiveness toward smoking.

Baek Sangryul, Senior Research Fellow at the National Youth Policy Institute, who conducted this study, pointed out, "Smoking scenes in the media are sometimes combined with a character's rebellious and 'cool' image," adding, "Adolescents may be more likely to interpret such scenes positively."

He went on to emphasize, "This demonstrates the importance of equipping adolescents with the ability to critically interpret smoking scenes in the media," and stressed, "Youth smoking prevention policies need to go beyond simply communicating the health risks of smoking and adopt a more multidimensional approach."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.