TV ads entice kids to drink
The study shows that TV ads are likely to encourage young people to associate alcohol with fun, friendship and physical activity. Image: phlegma/iStockphoto Efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm in Australia are being frustrated by high levels of alcohol advertising on television, particularly at times when children are likely to be watching, according to new research led by The University of Western Australia.In a two-month study, researchers found that of 2810 alcohol advertisements worth $15.8 million shown in five capital cities, about half were screened at times when at least 25 per cent of possible child viewers were likely to be watching.The findings, published in the Drug And Alcohol Review by the Australian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs, show that TV ads are likely to encourage young people to view alcohol as an inexpensive product closely associated with fun, friendship and physical activity, and best bought in bulk.Lead researcher Professor Simone...