NCJ Number
160645
Date Published
1994
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Although alcohol abuse can cause health problems and lead to alcoholism, alcohol producers advertise their products to America's teens as if alcohol can make teens more attractive and popular; these ads must be restricted.
Abstract
Federal regulations do not specifically prohibit alcohol ads that appeal to youth, and a case study of five ads found that the current regulations and standards have not deterred advertisers from using the ads that appeal to youth. The author, who was Surgeon General of the United States from 1990 to 1993, called for the industry's voluntary elimination of alcohol advertising that appeals to youth on the basis of lifestyles, sexual appeal, sports figures, and risky activities, as well as the advertising with the more blatant youth appeals of cartoon characters and those that have youth slang. She invited a small group of CEO's from the most important parts of the alcohol industry to meet privately with her to discuss what they can do to eliminate ads that target youth and what can be done to protect the health of youth from the ravages of alcohol abuse. She also calls upon States to continue their efforts to limit alcohol advertising that appeals to youth, and urges communities to provide the grassroots support that makes such limits a reality. Further, communities should adopt and support creative prevention programs, and schools should make alcohol education a part of the curriculum from the earliest grades to college; the curriculum should include not only information about alcohol and its effects but also resistance education and risk-avoidance techniques. Parents and children should talk with one another about alcohol use and the nature and truthfulness of ads for alcoholic beverages.