Netflix promises to cut back on smoking depictions

The streaming giant announced that moving forward, it will no longer show smoking and e-cigarette use on shows geared towards young people, except for “reasons of historical or factual accuracy.”

The announcement comes after a report by an anti-smoking group Truth Initiative revealed the rise of smoking in episodic content points to an emerging threat to youth.

The groups research shows smoking and e-cigarette depictions were most prevalent on Netflix compared to cable or broadcast television. The study found that the amount of tobacco imagery has more than tripled since 2018 in the most popular programs among those aged 15 – 24 years old.

The research shows that the biggest offender was Season 2 of Stranger Things which featured smoking in every episode – 262 times throughout the entire season.

The streaming giant said that while they respect artistic expression, they recognize the negative influence it can have on young people.