Underage drinking has become a growing public health problem in the United Sates. Many ignore the issue, believing that underage drinking is not a problem and that once young men and women turn 18, the choice to drink should be theirs. The U.S. Surgeon General’s office estimates there are nearly 11 million underage drinkers yearly and that the number continues to grow. Now more than ever, alcohol companies are flooding the lives of the population with slogans, images, and references that are appealing to the underage eye. They use social media and sporting events as mediums to get their message across to a large number of people, but this inevitably exposes youth to alcohol before they turn 21. Although alcoholic advertising and social media prove to be beneficial to many companies, they must be censored because they encourage youth to drink more than any other medium.

Public advertising is an effective tool to reach an intended consumer because a given advertisement like a billboard can be seen by thousands of people every day. However, once an alcoholic product is advertised on a billboard or on the bus, underage men and women can see it just as easily as adults. The company has no ability to restrict the intended audience. More often than not, one may be exposed to a banner promoting a given beer near schools, churches, play grounds, etc. Considering the high levels of youth that populate these areas, it is reasonable to assume that they are becoming more familiar with the products. A study of alcohol ads in Chicago found that exposure to outdoor alcohol advertising around schools is associated with subsequent youth intentions to use alcohol.  Many youths in large cities rely on public transportation such as busses or the subway. These means of transportation are consumed with advertisements of alcohol and increase the likelihood that someone will drink underage simply because they see a sign or poster. According to the Department of Education in New York, “Over 1,400,000 k-12 students are issued public transportation passes each year, making it very common for youth exposure” (Simon, 1). Similar to New York, Boston contains many popular sources of public transit. In a particular case study preformed in Massachusetts, the frequency of alcohol ads was measured on the Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority (MBTA).  The nature and extent of alcohol advertisements were being measured on 4 Boston transit lines on 2 separate weekdays, 1 month apart in June and July of 2008. The study showed that these ads were heavily viewed in just one average work day. The study found that over 267 ads involving some form of alcohol were posted in some form. In fact, the average number of advertisements was nearly two per car on the transit line. “Because of the high exposure of underage youths to the alcohol advertisements, it is recommended that the MBTA prohibit alcohol advertising on the Boston transit system” (Nyborn, 1). Further evidence in support of my theories generates from research that presents the positive impact of advertising restrictions. When considering public transit lines that have already had such policies enacted, it is clear that even partial bans on alcohol advertising reduce consumption. A study that reviewed alcohol bans, both partial and complete, reduced alcoholic consumption by five to eight percent. In accordance, research has been conducted to clarify that “A 28 percent reduction in alcohol advertising would reduce adolescent binge drinking from 12 percent to between 11 and 8 percent” (Simon, 2). However, such forms of advertising prove to be effective in generating revenue, and large alcohol companies are reluctant to reduce their advertising.

Alcohol companies spend over one billion dollars yearly on advertising in the United States. In particular, today’s developing generations are experiencing high levels of influential propaganda. Companies try to please the customer’s desires and encourage fantasies. This focus has become more commonplace over recent years and advertisements are now failing to emphasize the product itself. Alcohol companies aim to make their commercial wild and memorable. This strategy has the greatest effect on the adolescent mind (Tyler, 1). Teens become enthralled with how interesting or action-packed a beer commercial was, and this advertisement stays in their mind. When faced with a choice to drink the product advertised during the “cool commercial” young adults are likely to say yes, simply because they remember how intriguing the ad was. This tactic also often results in companies relating their product to an intriguing figure that appeals to the eye of the public (Stephenson, 1). Why would one not want to drink Dos Equis beer when you can be “The most interesting man in the world”? The population under 21 associates drinking this type of beer with having an extraordinary life filled with adventure and beautiful women. Unfortunately, this has been noted to encourage early connections with alcohol amongst the underage generations of the U.S. Dos Equis is not the only beer that uses this tactic either. Miller Lite has used Baywatch star Pamela Anderson to advertise its product. Budweiser has made its ads unique by advertising its product with cute puppies and stunning horses. In addition, a survey that dates back to 1996 reveals that nearly as many kids ages 8-12 recognized the Budweiser frog as those who recognized Bugs Bunny.  The commonality of these advertisements in daily life, as well as the intriguing content, push adolescence to underage alcohol consumption. 

Exposure to alcohol in the home proves to be an even greater reason for underage drinking than public advertising. In accordance to the broad access to the web at home, television is becoming a more common activity for adolescents every day.  “According to Nielsen's National Television Household Universe Estimates, there are 116.4 million TV homes in the U.S.” Considering the large sum of homes with this technology, one can imagine the amount of viewers that are absorbing the various content. “From 2001 to 2005, youth exposure to alcohol advertising on television increased by 41 percent. Moreover, from 2001 through 2003 youth were 96 times more likely to see an ad promoting alcohol than an industry ad discouraging underage drinking” (Simon, 3). Specifically speaking, sporting events are some of the highest viewed forms of entertainment on television. Beer has become synonymous with sports like baseball and football. Many parents even make it a routine to have a few drinks during the game in front of their kids. The AFC and NFC championship games alone tallied 100 million viewers in 2016. Beer commercials flood this programming, as well as the Super Bowl, making it impossible for young men and women under the age of 21 to avoid it. In fact, a study done in January of 2006 found that underage youth saw an average of 23 alcoholic advertisements a month. Moreover, youths who saw more than 23 advertisements per month drank one percent more for every additional add (Stephenson, 1). Since advertisements are flooding all homes in the U.S., children in households without alcohol are still exposed to brands of beer and liquor. For example, according to Kelly Wallace, who is a digital correspondent for CNN and a mother of two, her children are already familiar with several brands. This remained true even though the correspondent made it clear that there is not even any alcohol in the house. Therefore, it is safe to say that exposure to the ads amongst television programs had a clear result for her children. In fact, there is relevant data that has been recorded as a part of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Findings demonstrated that adolescents who didn’t see any ads drank about 14 drinks per month. On the contrary, this number rose to 33 drinks per month for those who had been exposed to an “average” number of advertising. Not only this, but an alternate study has revealed that “kids ages 11 to 14 typically see two to four alcohol ads per day” (Wallace, 1). It should also be noted that adolescents who did not see alcohol ads still drank, suggesting there is a greater reason for underage alcohol consumption. Because of this, many advocates against underage drinking make claims that guardians must regulate their child’s TV time. This being said, it can be excessive to block each and every advertisement from a child’s viewing time. Even while in the comfort of their homes, adolescents across the Unites States witness advertisements in bulk while watching their favorite shows. It has become next to impossible to go about your daily life without seeing something promoting alcohol.

Adolescents are also especially vulnerable to advertising because they lack the experience and knowledge to understand and evaluate the purpose of the persuasive advertising appeals. Children as young as 8 years old are being swayed by the alcoholic propaganda, and it doesn’t stop there. These ads are the beginning of wrong decisions that adolescents make, and should not be overlooked.   During adolescence, the Surgeon General’s report noted:

“Alcohol can present a special allure to some adolescents for social, genetic, psychological, and cultural reasons. This attraction occurs at the very time adolescents may not be fully prepared to anticipate all the effects of drinking alcohol and when they are more vulnerable to certain of its adverse consequences. Further, alcohol has been shown to impair one’s ability to evaluate risk and reward when making decisions.” (Simon, 1)

A large reason for many of these effects is the insufficient completion of the maturation process. This allows for a child or young adult to drink beyond their knowledge. Adolescents typically do not drink as much as adults, yet when they do, they drink more heavily and with less experience. Younger generations do not know the consequences of over-drinking when they first experiment with alcohol. “Each year about 5,000 people under age 21 die from alcohol-related injuries involving underage drinking.” (Simon, 4). These facts are not presented during the big sporting events though. Adolescents see the positive and fun side of alcohol more than the danger. This is a large facilitator of binge drinking. Society shows that alcohol is good, and today’s youth believes it is ok to drink more and more. 

In addition to exposure to public advertising, today’s generation of adolescents and young adults are growing up immersed in social media. This is proving to be the greatest source of exposure to underage drinking in America. For alcohol businesses, social media provides one more area in which younger generations can be exposed to advertising as well as peer alcohol use (“Alcohol Companies Directly”, 2017). Not only do these various brands offer intriguing images or slogans that result in a pro-alcohol mentality, they each have their own way of keeping the user involved in what they are promoting. Facebook users are often baited into liking or sharing the advertised brand. This offers the possibility for others to see the advertisement, as well as the user becoming more involved in the product. Amongst the world of twitter, ads are encouraging users to follow their brand while also promoting the use of catchy hashtags, promoting the brand's identity across twitter. Given the modern popularity of twitter, specifically among young teens, it raises large concern for the developing views of the youth in our nation. More importantly, communication is now easier than ever, and young adults can see what their peers are doing throughout the day. This fact has indirectly facilitated peer pressure. Young men and women are promoting alcohol more than any commercial can. Social media allows those who are considering trying alcohol to see how much fun their friends are having when drunk. They hear great reviews on drinking from people that they trust and care about. In addition, social media prevents anyone from being ignorant. Everyone who follows Jane Doe on twitter knows her parents are away for the weekend, and she is going to throw a great party. No one wants to be left out, and social media is a reminder that if you are a teen who doesn’t drink, you are missing out on opportunities to spend time with your friends. In addition, the videos that teens post on social media never show alcohol’s dark side. They only show how funny drunk people are or the crazy things people are motivated to do because of a lack of inhibition (DiSalvo, 1). At risk youth shows the good side of drinking: the fun, freedom, bonding, and excitement. When this is all one sees, it makes sense that many adolescents think alcoholism and other harmful side effects are just myths.

Technology continues to develop in today’s society. This development makes it easier for companies to advertise their product to a wider range of people. Alcohol companies have taken advantage of this by advertising in magazines, over spotting events, on the internet, and much more. However, society needs to consider reducing the number of alcoholic advertisements or censoring out certain messages. Multiple studies show that an increase in advertisement of beer and liquor increases the likelihood that an underage youth will say yes to drinking. Conversely, restricting these advertisements has shown a decrease in underage drinking. The results are clear, but it is unreasonable to expect large corporations to restrict or censor their advertisements because doing so would decrease revenue. Their goal is to make money, and the best way to do that is to target as large an audience as possible. Young men and women of our generation are getting caught in the middle of this, though. They see how fun drinking can be and do not fully understand the consequences of their actions. This is an issue that may never be completely solved, but society can help by advertising the dangers of underage drinking. If we broadcast both realities of underage drinking, the fun and the danger, today’s youth is at least forced to think before they take a sip.
