Surveys reveal that up-to 20% of 12 year olds in some schools are showing signs of nicotine addiction. In the 18-20 year bracket, the percentage is as high as 70. A large contributing factor to this high level of addiction is the uncensored TV advertising of cigarettes. For this reason, all cigarette advertising should be banned. Discuss.

It is a known fact that addition to nicotine is highly rampant among younger age groups. This could be attributed to many factors. Television advertising on cigarettes, in my opinion, is just one of those factors. Therefore, banning such advertising would not have the desired effect. 45

To begin with, advertising as such is a great force to reckon with when it comes to influencing people, especially youngsters. This does not mean that youngsters pick up bad habits like smoking directly from TV advertising. Rather, there are innumerable other agents that are much more powerful than TV advertising: the pressures growing up, temptations from smoking parents and extreme availability of tobacco products, to mention a few. 65

For example, smoking is eulogized in the movies, and the heroes and villains of new age films are powerful enough to make our young children feel that it is something to be “smoking”. The macho impact of smoking gets reinforced more by such instruments of entertainment than by mere advertising. TV adverting is a flashy thing that comes and goes unlike films. So banning it is not going to make any difference. 70

However, it is premature to ignore the fact that uncensored adverting promoting cigarettes does influence children, though the extent of such impacts is much lesser than what other forces are able to make. For example, constant company of smokers, the urge to test and taste something adventurous, the false notion that smoking alleviates tension and the like are real compulsions. 60

In short, the discussion makes me conclude that nicotine addition seen among younger age groups is contributed more by several other external influences than by advertising on cigarettes per se. However, banning TV commercials on cigarettes is not bad either for the general good of humanity. 45

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