Children Alcohol Advertising

It may be revealing about our national character that, although tobacco advertising has long since been banned from our TV screens, ads for alcohol remain part of the schedules. In fact, researchers believe that by the time children reach 16 they will have seen around 75,000 adverts for various kinds of booze.

Teen Drinking

Critics have linked the proliferation of alcohol ads on billboards, the Internet and television to the rising rates of underage drinking in the UK. Out of the 35 countries that belong to the EU, the UK has the highest number of teens aged 15 who claim to have been drunk on ten different occasions in the last year. This feeds into the statistics which reveal the rising number of adults in Britain who suffer from liver conditions caused by alcohol later on in life.

Because of these facts the Advertising Standards Authority, the body which outlines rules for most forms of advertising, has strict guidelines when it comes to the content of alcohol ads. These rules become even tougher on the subject of alcohol ads and children.

Protecting Children

Under the ASA guidelines advertisers are not allowed to promote alcohol to under-18s. This includes any context, medium or content which the ASA thinks might appeal to under-18s (for example, text messages). Their rules also state that:

• No medium can be used to promote alcohol if more than 25% of its regular audience is under 18. This refers to children's networks, some magazines and teen shows on the TV.
• In adverts promoting alcohol, none of the models should look under 25. They also can't be seen acting a way that could be termed 'adolescent'. People who are younger may be seen onscreen during family celebrations - but not in a way that suggests they've drunk alcohol.
• Adverts cannot reflect the culture of people who are under-18s in a way that would promote drinking. For example, pop stars that appeal to children cannot be used to sell alcohol, even to an adult audience.

Scheduling

The rules also cover what time TV adverts can be shown. As part of the guidelines the ASA states that 'unsuitable' adverts cannot be shown at a time when children are watching. This includes adverts promoting alcohol.

Although no TV station so far has managed to screen an ad for alcohol during children's TV, breaches do happen. In 2008 Channel 4 had their knuckles rapped by the ASA for accidentally broadcasting a beer advert during a film aimed at families.

Advertisers Get Creative

With these rules in place, advertisers are very limited in what they can show, especially when children are concerned. However, critics says that the alcohol industry, though they deny it in public, need to attract young drinkers. After all, statistics show that an adult's alcohol preferences are often set by experiences earlier in life.

Just like the tobacco industry in the 70s and 80s, alcohol advertisers have reacted to restrictions by getting more creative. Increasingly clever ads, such as the TV ads for Guinness in the 90s (which used striking imagery and a techno soundtrack) have gone on to infiltrate popular culture in a way that makes nonsense of age restrictions.

Still - as public concern about health means the government gets tough on fast food and tobacco advertising, the alcohol advertisers are probably praying that even tougher restrictions aren't around the corner.