Smoking Still Cool on Some Social Networking Sites

Pro-tobacco messages outnumber antismoking ones on social-networking sites like MySpace and Xanga that are commonly viewed by kids, HealthDay News reported July 20.

Researchers said that while less than one percent of pages on social-networking sites viewed by the youths in the study contained tobacco-related messages, parents may be overlooking the messages their children are exposed to online even if they monitor other media, like movies or TV shows, for pro-smoking content.

The study authors said the findings support the need for legislation to control tobacco marketing online.

The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics.