Impact Advertising Has on Underage Drinking

According to the urban dictionary underage drinking is the consumption of

alcohol under the legally specified age. Underage drinking is a serious
public health problem in Jamaica that the health officials and authority
figures are working assiduously to mitigate. Advertising is said to be a
contributing factor for underage teenagers indulging in this act. Personally, I
strongly believe that the advertisement of alcoholic beverages preys on the
curious minds of teenagers and as a result leads to underage drinking. This
paper seeks to discuss the stance on this issue with the support of 3 key
evidences. 1) Research have shown that teenagers are more likely to
consume alcohol after extensive exposure. 2) Social media marketing plays a
vital role in Underage drinking3) Manufacturers of alcohol beverages does
not place enough emphasis in their advertisements about the negative effects
drinking can have on young people as an attempt to discourage underage
drinking.

A study was conducted at the John Hopkins University and it was

discovered that the greater the exposure to alcohol through advertising it
increases the likelihood underage drinking. Some teenagers are fascinated
with the alcohol advertisements because of the feeling of ecstasy an
excitement portrayed in these advertisements. Teenagers who have some
amount of knowledge about the impact of alcohol use can ignore the urge to
drink however the repeated viewing of these ads can lead to them trying
these beverages.

Alcohol brands are venturing out into social media marketing and this
approach is more likely to reach teenagers than person over the legal age.
Teenagers are technologically savvy and are more likely to access these
platforms than the older generation. This accessibility sparks an interest in
them to try out the new an existing brands of alcohol that are on the shelves.
The average teenager sees about 5 alcohol advertisement per day on a
television, however on social media these advertisements are available 24/7.
Just like the television adverts no restrictions are placed on the
advertisement to prevent teenagers from viewing these ads which can lead to
them consuming these products.
Manufacturers focuses more in their advertisement on highlighting the
quality of their products and encourage nondrinkers to drink. Teenagers are
drawn to the music and humor found in these advertisements. They also
gravitate towards all other aspects of these ads because it displays risky
behavior and in their views it provides immediate gratification, thrills and
also social status. Some advertisements insert a line or two about the
appropriate age for consuming their products but more can be done by these
organizations to curb this issue such as launching campaigns to discourage
underage drinking or they can change their advertising strategies.

In closing it is safe to say the advertisements of alcohol beverages can in fact

lead to underage drinking. More also needs to be done by the manufacturers
of these beverages as well as the stakeholders to mitigate this issue because
the advertisements are too appealing to teenagers.