Wednesday 1 April 2009

NHS "I'm Scared" Ad scares UK children

There was news about children being scared of a new NHS anti-smoking advert, posted bellow:

I was at the cinema recently and saw that ad before the film started. Honestly, the ad freaked me out. I can imagine a five-year old child having nightmares about it. The mother in the ad seemed so pale and sick. I understand the whole purpose is to discourage parents from smoking because their children need them. But involving children in such an ad was not the best idea I believe.

The voice of a young girl saying: "I'm not scared of spiders, clowns or bullies, but I'm scared of mum dying" is depressing. If this ad is targeting parents, I think children should not watch it. They would think badly of their smoker parents if they do imagining them dying or terminally ill.

A similar approach was taken in the UAE but in a softer way. A girl was singing to her father a song called "Leave it, your breath is my breath" asking him to stop smoking because she loves him and does not want to see him suffer. She says "Who do I have but you in this world, put out your cigarette... Leave it and hug me...". Here is the video bellow: