7:10 PM
Super Bowl commercials deluge youth with alcohol messages
Healthy Malden
To the editor:
The National Football League Championship Football game, the Super Bowl, is nearly as famous for its commercials and halftime shows as it is for the game itself. And with the last two years having the highest number of viewers ever, that means nearly 194 million people watched more beer commercials than any other type of commercial.
But how many of them are under-aged youth? Because youth who see more alcohol advertisements on average drink more than those who do not see the ads, alcohol industry marketing standards say alcohol ads should not target youth or promote heavy consumption. But with millions spent on research that provides advertisers with TV viewer and consumers sales insights, alcohol advertisers know who is watching and when and the Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University has documented widespread exposure of youth to alcohol ads and marketing on television, radio, the Web, and magazines.
For example, between the years 2001-2003, 750,000 alcohol ads aired with 180,000 more likely to be seen by underage youth than an adult. Other findings are that youth see three beer ads for every five that an adult sees on television, and in 14 of the 15 largest media markets, underage youth heard more radio alcohol advertising per capita than adults over the age of 21. Additionally, youth saw 45 percent more beer and ale ads and 27 percent more distilled spirits ads in magazines than did adults.
The long-term consequences of underage drinking are real and tragic. Those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who wait until they are 21. And while research has shown that heavy alcohol use by adolescents has long-term effects on brain development, it also plays a substantial role in the three leading causes of death among youth: unintentional injury, suicide, and homicide. Furthermore, nearly one in four teens (24 percent) say that alcohol and drug use led them to do more sexually than they had planned and teen girls who binge drink are 63 percent more likely to get pregnant in their teen years.
While many consider adolescent drinking a rite of passage, underage drinking is marked by significant abuse. Ninety-two percent of the alcohol consumed by 12-14 year olds and 96 percent of the consumption by 15-17 year olds is done when drinkers are having five or more drinks at one time. Across the United States, one out of seven eighth graders report having been drunk in the last year and by age 18, 70 percent of teens have had a drink.
Healthy Malden has worked on educating both adults and youth on the dangers of underage drinking for years. We have produced many shows for parents and guardians on the dangers of alcohol and drug use and those shows remain available for viewing at any time on our Web site, www.HEALTHYMALDEN.org.
Through educational programs created in partnership with the Malden Public Schools, the annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that we have lowered the incidences of alcohol drinking among middle-schoolers from 37 percent to 29 percent in the last four years. Just as importantly, we have also lowered the perception of peer use of alcohol from 35 percent to 13 percent in that same time frame.
Unfortunately, 44 percent of those same Malden middle-schoolers reported seeing alcohol ads in the last 30 days. Therefore, we echo the United States Surgeon General’s call that the alcohol industry has a public responsibility related to the marketing of its product. We also call upon parents and guardians to talk to their children about what they see on television and help them understand how commercials are used to sell products, services, and images that are not always based in reality. The reality is that teen alcohol consumption is unhealthy, unsafe, and unacceptable.
Kevin Duffy
Executive Director
Healthy Malden, Inc
As posted in the Malden Observer:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/malden/news/opinions/letters/x1851009663/Letter-Super-Bowl-commercials-deluge-youth-with-alcohol-messages
The National Football League Championship Football game, the Super Bowl, is nearly as famous for its commercials and halftime shows as it is for the game itself. And with the last two years having the highest number of viewers ever, that means nearly 194 million people watched more beer commercials than any other type of commercial.
But how many of them are under-aged youth? Because youth who see more alcohol advertisements on average drink more than those who do not see the ads, alcohol industry marketing standards say alcohol ads should not target youth or promote heavy consumption. But with millions spent on research that provides advertisers with TV viewer and consumers sales insights, alcohol advertisers know who is watching and when and the Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University has documented widespread exposure of youth to alcohol ads and marketing on television, radio, the Web, and magazines.
For example, between the years 2001-2003, 750,000 alcohol ads aired with 180,000 more likely to be seen by underage youth than an adult. Other findings are that youth see three beer ads for every five that an adult sees on television, and in 14 of the 15 largest media markets, underage youth heard more radio alcohol advertising per capita than adults over the age of 21. Additionally, youth saw 45 percent more beer and ale ads and 27 percent more distilled spirits ads in magazines than did adults.
The long-term consequences of underage drinking are real and tragic. Those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who wait until they are 21. And while research has shown that heavy alcohol use by adolescents has long-term effects on brain development, it also plays a substantial role in the three leading causes of death among youth: unintentional injury, suicide, and homicide. Furthermore, nearly one in four teens (24 percent) say that alcohol and drug use led them to do more sexually than they had planned and teen girls who binge drink are 63 percent more likely to get pregnant in their teen years.
While many consider adolescent drinking a rite of passage, underage drinking is marked by significant abuse. Ninety-two percent of the alcohol consumed by 12-14 year olds and 96 percent of the consumption by 15-17 year olds is done when drinkers are having five or more drinks at one time. Across the United States, one out of seven eighth graders report having been drunk in the last year and by age 18, 70 percent of teens have had a drink.
Healthy Malden has worked on educating both adults and youth on the dangers of underage drinking for years. We have produced many shows for parents and guardians on the dangers of alcohol and drug use and those shows remain available for viewing at any time on our Web site, www.HEALTHYMALDEN.org.
Through educational programs created in partnership with the Malden Public Schools, the annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that we have lowered the incidences of alcohol drinking among middle-schoolers from 37 percent to 29 percent in the last four years. Just as importantly, we have also lowered the perception of peer use of alcohol from 35 percent to 13 percent in that same time frame.
Unfortunately, 44 percent of those same Malden middle-schoolers reported seeing alcohol ads in the last 30 days. Therefore, we echo the United States Surgeon General’s call that the alcohol industry has a public responsibility related to the marketing of its product. We also call upon parents and guardians to talk to their children about what they see on television and help them understand how commercials are used to sell products, services, and images that are not always based in reality. The reality is that teen alcohol consumption is unhealthy, unsafe, and unacceptable.
Kevin Duffy
Executive Director
Healthy Malden, Inc
As posted in the Malden Observer:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/malden/news/opinions/letters/x1851009663/Letter-Super-Bowl-commercials-deluge-youth-with-alcohol-messages