Should Cigarettes Be Rated R?

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It has been decades since the movie rating system came out.

Ratings such as PG, R, and X are used as a guide for parents and others to determine whether or not a movie has content appropriate for children.

According to a report in the American Academy of Pediatrics there might be another reason to give an R-rating to a movie.

Their suggestion is that movies that depict smoking in any positive light should be given an R-rating. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics was just one of 17 professional groups that signed a letter addressed the film industry leaders.

They are hoping that by June 1, 2018, depictions of smoking in positive ways in movies will be removed.

This letter was sent in response to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which found a previous decline in tobacco related imagery in PG-13 movies.

Study after study has shown the tobacco related imagery in movies can influence children to begin smoking.