Does Advertising Play a Role in Underage Drinking?
There is an ongoing debate about advertising and whether or not it plays a role in underage drinking. Several surveys and studies have been conducted to assess advertising of alcohol and how it affects teens and their drinking habits and, for the most part, deduced that advertising does indeed play a role in underage drinking. There are many who refute the conclusions of these studies, arguing that the results contradict scientific research that has been performed for years, which has found no causal link between advertising and teen drinking choices and patterns.
Alcohol Advertising
Advertising, in general, has always been used to influence the purchasing habits of consumers. For decades now, brand wars have been plastered all over television and the radio, airport kiosks, on subways and buses, and billboards. The internet has become cluttered with intuitive, targeted advertising aiming to earn the consumer’s eye.
Alcohol advertising, like any other adverts that aim to persuade consumers to buy products, glorify drinking in a variety of ways. A popular vodka is proclaimed to be “Absolut Magic” in a print ad, while another professes the alcoholic beverage is “Absolut Paradise.” Video games geared at “Mature” audiences, but also played by teens and college students, are glorifying alcohol and tobacco use, as well.
Is Advertising Causing Underage Drinking and Driving?
Creating a causal link between advertising and its effects on teenagers is difficult and obviously arguable. Further connecting underage drinking and driving to advertising could be impossible, if we take into consideration the current debates about advertising. If people do not believe that advertising has an effect on purchasing decisions, then they will not believe that advertising could be linked to underage DUI.
There is no doubt, however, that underage drinking is occurring, whether it is instigated by the millions of dollars spent on advertising or not. At the various universities and colleges in Philadelphia, college underage drinking is a common occurrence. While it may seem like “everyone else is doing it,” a conviction for underage drinking and driving comes along with serious short-term and long-term consequences.
Contact A Respected Chesapeake DUI Lawyer
If you have been arrested or charged with underage DUI, it is in your best interest to find a Chesapeake underage DUI lawyer who can reduce or eliminate your charges. Judges tend to come down hard on people who are charged with underage DUI, and the long-term conviction on your record could haunt you the rest of your life.
