Taiwan to include tobacco in film rating scheme
TAIPEI — Taiwan is planning to change its movie rating system to take account of characters who smoke, the government said Saturday, as part of a bid to reduce the number…
TAIPEI — Taiwan is planning to change its movie rating system to take account of characters who smoke, the government said Saturday, as part of a bid to reduce the number of youngsters taking up the habit.The Department of Health wants to make tobacco use one of the criteria for deciding what age rating to give a film, a move that could mean some animated movies are out of bounds for children."Smoking (in movies) has a much worse impact on health than sex and violence," the department said in a statement posted on its website.It cited a popular Japanese cartoon series, One Piece, where the main characters smoke frequently, providing "a bad example for children".Taiwan has looked to tighten anti-smoking rules in recent years. The island banned smoking in all indoor public places in early 2009.It has also outlawed all cigarette advertisement and imposed a "health tax" on cigarettes, a move the health department credits with helping to cut smoking by 10 percent.Lung cancer has long been a leading cause of death in Taiwan, which has about five million smokers out of a total population of 23 million, according to government figures. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
last modification 2010-02-20 22:45:17
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