Netflix is "cutting down" on shows with smoking and that irks me

Netflix. Everyone's favorite pastime (don't lie). From Friends to The Office to its cousin, Parks and Recreation, there's something for everyone. When Netflix announced it may not bring Friends back, people were outraged. A million dollars later, Friends was back on our "Suggestions for You" feed. However, when Netflix announced they were going to cut down on the number of originals with tobacco use, it was a less heated topic...well for everyone but me apparently.

Yes, there are tons of originals that feature heavy smokers. I watch one episode of The Crown and I feel like I'll be diagnosed with lung cancer the following weekend, but has no one realized that maybe the issue Netflix needs to be focused on is suicide? After 13 Reasons Why premiered, there was a 28.9% increase in suicide rates among Americans aged 10-17. The show even had to bring therapy dogs on set because it got so intense while filming, but yet Netflix doesn't see a problem.

This whole smoking issue actually started over Stranger Things, the other hot show that premiered almost a year before 13 Reasons Why. Truth Initiative Report saw the tobacco use in the show as "harmful" and a way to influence younger people to smoke, but as far as I'm concerned, I can't find one statistic on Stranger Things causing teens to smoke more, but yet I find article after article when I search for "Suicide rates rise after 13 reasons why."

We can all agree that smoking is harmful and dangerous. I also want to think that we can all agree that "vaping" or "juuling" is the new trend and just as, if not more, dangerous, than smoking (but that's another article for a later time). Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death of 15-24 year olds in the world following homicide. One person dies every 40 seconds. That's about 2,160 a day (yes, I did the math for you). Smoking, however, still a rising issue, kills about 1,300 a day. Though those 1,300 people aren't any less important than the 2,160 people, I think Netflix needs to realize that their show, 13 Reasons Why, specifically, plays a big part in that statistic. I also think that maybe they should tackle the suicide issue first, head on, before moving on to tobacco use.

I live on a college campus, and vaping is all around me so I understand where Netflix is coming from with cutting down on the tobacco use, but I also think 13 Reasons Why is a far greater issue right now. After the shows release, there were mixed feelings. Is it too much of a trigger? What age group is this intended for? How extreme is too extreme? For a show that has to have a trigger warning inserted before a particular scene, Netflix doesn't seem to be too concerned with the side effects it's causing. Heck, it brings them a lot of business because people want to see what all the rave is about, but are teens lives worth the business Netflix is gaining? I don't think so.