Saying that recent movie industry steps to limit youth exposure to smoking scenes don't go far enough, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is calling for a ban on all non-historical portrayals of smoking in movies accessible to children and youth, WTMJ-4 reported May 24.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), responding to pressure from public-health groups and regulators, recently announced that it would consider smoking as a factor when deciding whether to rate movies R, or restricted to patrons ages 17 and older unless accompanied by an adult.

But pediatricians are concerned that the policy change will not adequately protect children from on-screen smoking, and called on the MPAA to place a R rating on all new films that portray smoking, except for films depicting historical figures who actually smoked. The AAP also called on the movie industry to place antismoking messages before all films that depict smoking and eliminate tobacco brand identification and product-placement arrangements.