Kids and Alcohol ads
A recent study published by the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs examined the exposure of kids to alcohol ads. They looked at the different types of advertising, the ads that were most often viewed and, the characteristics of the kids who were exposed most often to alcohol related ads.
The results were interesting. It was discovered that most of the ads viewed by the kids were outdoor advertisements, with television advertisements a close second. Further, the researchers found that African American and Hispanic youth were exposed to an average of 4.1 and 3.4 advertisements per day, respectively, nearly two times as many as non-Hispanic White youth, who were exposed to 2.0 advertisements per day. Another interesting finding was that girls were exposed to 30% more alcohol related ads than boys.
Previous research shows that exposure to alcohol ads is very common among middle school–age kids and could place these kids at risk for earlier or more frequent underage drinking. Thus, this study concluded that more restrictions on alcohol advertising – both outdoors and on television – should be considered and should center primarily on reducing exposure among minority kids.
Source: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77(3), 384–392 (2016).