Media | Bipas

Alcohol
in the Media

Talk to children about alcohol in the media

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Do children take in media messages?

Yes. Even if children watch less TV than their peers, they are still likely to take in messages about alcohol. Studies show that children of all ages take in media messages about alcohol.

In Preschool...

Even preschool children learn things about alcohol from watching TV. In one study, children played with dolls getting ready for a grown-up party, and were told they were out of food and to go to the store to buy things for the party. Children who were allowed to watch PG-13 or R movies at home were five times more likely to choose alcohol items for their kid-sized grocery cart than kids who watched only G-rated movies at home. (1)

In Middle School...

A study with 7th graders found that the greater the number of alcohol ads watched during 7th grade, the more likely kids were to be drinking beer, wine, or liquor in 8th grade. (3) The more children see ads and actors who make drinking alcohol look fun, cool, or exciting, the more they have positive ideas about alcohol and the more likely they are to develop a strong curiosity about trying alcohol.

Q: Does talking about alcohol make children more interested in it?

Even if you're not talking to your kids about alcohol, the media is! Parents who stay quiet about alcohol let other sources, including media, have a stronger say in what their children learn about alcohol. The only way to make sure your child learns your values and your rules about alcohol is to start talking now and keep talking as your child gets older.

Research makes it very clear that if parents talk to their kids about alcohol and discourage underage drinking, their children are much less likely to become teens who drink.

where

Where is alcohol in the media?

Alcohol advertisements:

The average child sees 2,000 beer and wine commercials on TV each year–ads that make alcohol look cool, fun, and appealing. This is especially true for beer and flavored drinks like hard seltzers. Sweet fruity alcoholic drinks are especially appealing to teenagers because the sugar hides the taste of alcohol.

Alcohol ads appeal to children by showing young, attractive, and adventurous people, cute animals, or cartoon-like characters who are funny and cool. (4) Research shows that children remember these characters and their messages about alcohol. (5) One recent study showed that elementary school children could name almost all the alcohol brands shown to them.

Making alcohol appealing to kids in TV/film:

Characters in TV shows and movies teach children about drinking, too. Alcohol use is shown in almost every movie. (6) Actors who drink on screens are often attractive, important lead characters. Characters on TV rarely suffer any harm, even when they use a lot of alcohol.

Alcohol is even portrayed in children's animated films. Do you remember seeing these scenes including alcohol as a child or a parent?

Linguini being over served wine by his boss in Ratatouille
Dumbo the elephant accidentally drinking alcohol and having frightening and trippy visions of pink elephants
Gaston drinking beer and singing in the tavern in Beauty & the Beast
The two thieves in 101 Dalmatians get drunk after being scolded by Cruella de Vil

Alcohol in music

As kids get older, music becomes an increasingly important part of their lives. Many parents are surprised by what they hear when they pay close attention to the lyrics that their children listen to. One study analyzed nearly 700 popular songs between 2014 and 2020 and found that almost 60% featured alcohol, smoking, hookah, or cannabis in either their lyrics or music videos. (16)

Social media, alcohol, and teens

Preteens and teenagers spend a lot of time online. 97% of teens say that they use the internet daily, and 35% of teens say they are using at least one of the top five social media platforms – YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook – “almost constantly,” according to a 2022 survey of teenagers aged 13-17. (7) Additionally, total time spent on screens for kids ages 8-12 years old is growing – one report found that kids this age had over four hours a day of screentime in 2019 and over five hours a day in 2021. (8)

Social media is another place where kids are exposed to alcohol-related content. Kids may see alcohol ads and pictures of their peers drinking, both factors associated with alcohol use. (9) Kids who spend more time on social media are at higher risk for problematic drinking. (10) Researchers have found that greater alcohol-related social media use was correlated with more drinking and alcohol-related problems in teens and college students. (11) In fact, the 100 most popular videos on TikTok tagged with #alcohol were collectively viewed almost over 200 million times; the majority depict users consuming multiple drinks quickly as well as positive experiences with alcohol and humor. (12)

Alcohol brands are online and market to kids. Alcohol companies promote alcohol in different ways – through interactive games, sponsored events, and even invitations to drink, such as associating the weekend with drinking. (13) Studies have found that underage users are able to interact with and receive alcohol advertising even though companies are not supposed to market to kids. (14-15)

A note on the fantasy world of alcohol ads

Alcohol ads portray a fantasy world where nothing bad happens when you drink. While you may know that’s unrealistic, your children may not. These ads don’t show the potential consequences of drinking: no looking stupid, no getting sick, and no car crashes from driving after drinking. Children who learn about alcohol from the media are not getting a balanced view.

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How to discuss alcohol in media with your kids

Encourage your child to tell you right away if they see alcohol being used by characters or actors in TV programs or movies. Below are five good questions you can use. You can also follow any question you ask with a brief chat about what you think or expect when it comes to alcohol use.

Try these five questions:

01

What do you think about this character drinking alcohol at their age?

02

How did that character act differently after drinking alcohol?

03

What did this program/movie show you about the bad things that happen when someone drinks too much alcohol?

04

How did this character set a good example or a bad example of how to use alcohol?

05

What do you think about the way this character uses alcohol?

What you can do:
See alcohol in the media? Use the opportunity!

When you or your child spots alcohol in the media, use the opportunity to speak up! Let your child know if you disagree with what’s being shown on the screen and say why. Explain what you think are responsible, acceptable ways for adults to use alcohol. If you stay silent, your child might be left thinking that you are not concerned about or even that you agree with what is being shown.

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Alcohol in the Media