Across the country and around the world, young people are organizing to push smoking out of youth-rated movies.

With technical support from public health experts, tens of thousands of young people are gathering community endorsements, writing media company CEOs, and educating local theater managers and video retailers.

In New York State…

Starting in 2002, the Reality Check youth movement, dedicated to countering tobacco marketing and promotion, zeroed in on smoking in youth-rated movies.

Reality Check chapters across the state have hosted movie nights to spotlight on-screen smoking and talk about the history of tobacco industry activity in Hollywood. Reality Check members have gathered policy endorsements from town councils, generated bags of mail to Hollywood figures, published op-eds in state newspapers and sponsored paid media campaigns.

In June 2009 (right), hundreds of Reality Check members rallied in front of Manhattan media HQs to demand smokefree, youth-rated films.

Click for program details. Visit Reality Check online.

In Vermont, Indiana, California and more…

OVX (Our Voices Exposed) is Vermont’s high-school aged, youth-led movement against tobacco. Its animated Butts of Hollywood media campaign has run in state theaters. Visit OVX .

Indiana’s VOICE movement empowers young people to see through and resist tobacco industry marketing. Voice Road Tours spread the word across the state. Voice’s Don’t Glam Tobacco campaign gathers thousands of petition signatures to show media companies that their young heartland audiences want tobacco off the screen. Visit VOICE.

California is ramping up community anti-tobacco campaigns focusing on the film studios that call California home.

In Los Angeles, rolling billboards (right) remind film studios that young people everywhere are watching what they do about tobacco.

California Youth Action Network coordinates training, strategic planning and youth summits. Local groups are winning policy endorsements and generating mail to the studios. Find out more about the Tobacco & Hollywood campaign.

Youth-led groups in Ohio, Florida, New Mexico, North Dakota and other states have also confronted movie smoking and spread the word on solutions. Contact us to explore powerful ways that Hollywood’s most valuable audience can take the lead on smokefree movies.