It’s tough to surf the internet nowadays and not be subjected to an advertisement promoting one kind of alcoholic beverage or another. So how appealing are these marketing strategies to underage youth? McClure et al. (2016/01/05/peds.2015-2149) report on the results of their longitudinal study of youths ages 15-20 looking at the receptiveness of older teens for visiting alcohol brand websites or their recall of brand homepage images among other indicators of alcohol marketing receptivity.
The investigators at the same time noted the onset of teen subjects of ever drinking or binge-drinking at baseline and one year later. While high levels of marketing receptivity were not seen, those who were receptive demonstrated much higher odds of binge-drinking, raising concerns about these youth being at risk for problem drinking as they get older.
This study joins others highlighting the negative aspects of advertising or promoting teenage risk-taking activities (like drinking via media channels like the internet. Is there a solution? Have you found strategies to help teens navigate the internet but not be influenced by the strong marketing campaigns encouraging them to consider drinking, use e-cigarettes or other unhealthy practices?
We would love to hear what works by sharing your thoughts via a response to this blog, posting a comment, or using our Facebook or Twitter pages. And even if you don’t have a solution, read this article and share the results with teens and families in your practice and at schools so more attention is paid to the role of the internet in possibly promoting underage drinking.
