Anti-smoking ads traumatized me for life

Maybe we shouldn't be showing these terrifying ads to children

A television.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Naypong/iStock, jessicahyde/iStock, Screenshot/YouTube)

Like many people my age, I grew up on a diet of television that was definitely far scarier than I should have been watching at age, oh, 11. Are You Afraid of the Dark? Goosebumps. Courage the Cowardly Dog.

But the most terrifying things on TV, by far, were the anti-smoking ads in between shows.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.