Alcohol Marketing and Children

Alcohol Marketing and Children

People who start drinking early in life are more likely to become binge and problem drinkers. Underage drinking can affect normal brain development and present other significant risks to children’s wellbeing.

Studies observing effects on children consistently report thatexposure to alcohol marketing leads young people to drink more, and to drink at an earlier age.

The current self-regulatory systems that govern alcohol marketing are not meeting their intended purpose of protecting children from exposure to alcohol marketing or alcohol marketing designed to particularly appeal to children[1].Existing UK advertising codes are soweak thatyoung people are regularly exposed to alcohol marketing which they find appealing. The alcohol advertising industry denies such claims but is unable to offer an evidenced basis[2].

Such permissive regulation has helped normalise alcohol so that many see it as an unremarkable product and forget the harm it can cause. For example, licensing officers in Aberdeenshire regularly hear enquiries from commercial soft play areas and other unsuitable contexts for an alcohol sales licence due to ‘customer demand’.

AsurveyAlcohol Focus Scotland carried out demonstrated the impact of such normalisation by finding that 10 and 11 year olds were more familiar with certainbeer brands than leading brands of biscuits, crisps and ice cream.

Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drugs Partnership Lead Officer Wayne Gault discovered the weakness of the current system after raising concerns with the industry funded Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) following a recent incident.

“In the summer holidays I took my 13 year old son and a group of his mates to see ‘Central Intelligence’, a 12A juvenile comedy at the local cinema.

I was astonished to find that before it ran the audience, mainly teenagers, were exposed to almost 20 minutes of back to back alcohol adverts. ASA’s weak response, almost 5 months later, showed that they just don’t take this issue seriously.

Our kids are precious and they deserve to experience an alcohol-free childhood free from exposure to alcohol marketing.”

Alcohol marketing has no place in childhood. All children should play, learn and socialise in places that are healthy and safe, protected from exposure to alcohol advertising and sponsorship.

Growing concerns about the impact of advertising normalising alcohol as an ordinary safe product rather than the carcinogenic and addictive drug that it is has led to the launch of the national campaign #alcoholfreekids.

The campaign seeks to raise awareness that the current advertising codes of conduct are failing to protect children, and that it is time to take effective action in Scotland to ensure that children can play, learn and socialise in places that are free from alcohol marketing.

Local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, NHS Grampian, Children 1st, the Scottish Cancer Prevention Network and the medical Royal Colleges, as well as the majority of MSPs (72) and various local politicians have signed up to the campaign pledge:

"I believe that alcohol marketing has no place in childhood. All children should play, learn and socialise in places that are healthy and safe, protected from exposure to alcohol advertising and sponsorship."

Now the campaign is asking children and young people's organisations, health groups and anyone else concerned about this issue to also sign up. Gordon MP Alex Salmond has discussed the issue with the responsible minister, Matthew Hancock MP, Minister for Digital and Culture.

You can play your part too by:

Signing up to the pledge at
Raising concerns with the ASA should you encounter any examples placing youngsters at risk by emailing .

Background

The ASA is a non-governmental organisation voluntarily paid for by the advertising industry.

ASA is responsible for the regulation of non-broadcast advertising against a code of practice written by the advertising industry.

There are no rules that prohibit exposure of alcohol advertisements to under-18 year olds unless 25% or more of the audience is under-18 or the movie is a super-hero comic book spin-off or a 15 rated film on supernatural subjects.

As much as 40% of cinema advertising time can be dedicated to alcohol advertising.

[1]

[2]