Newsletter MADD Teen Influencer April 2024: Alcohol Awareness Month
Healthy Teen Talks
Hike Like MADD
Alcohol Ads
Join us Saturday, April 20th for our upcoming fundraising event! Easy 1.5 mile hike in Brea to raise money for MADD.
Ben explores alcohol advertising and how it can target youth with certain products.
Check out episode 8 of our Healthy Teen Talks podcast where we talk about the minor decoy program.
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Alcohol, Marketing and You
by Ben Haworth, MADD Teen Influencer
Since 1987, the month of April has been recognized as National Alcohol Awareness Month to highlight the dangers of underage drinking and alcohol abuse. While the legal drinking age in the United States is 21, alcohol remains the most used substance among teens and is a significant health concern in America. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) almost sixty percent of
teenagers have had one alcoholic drink by the age of eighteen. Alcohol abuse is a problem across all age ranges, but alcohol abuse in young people has substantial implications. Teenagers are also more likely to binge drink alcohol than adults. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recognizes binge drinking as having five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women. Despite these facts, recently there has been a slight decline in the consumption of alcohol among teens in high school. Still, underage drinking continues to be major health and safety issue in America.
MADD Teen Influencer
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Various reasons play into the influence alcohol can have on young people’s lives. Peer pressure, stress and social anxiety, curiosity, and even genetics are all factors of why teenagers drink. The media, especially social media, and clever marketing ploys geared towards teens continue to manipulate how teenagers view alcohol consumption. Everything from glamorizing drinking on television shows to social media influencers portraying drinking in a positive or attractive light, guides teenagers into making poor choices. Alcohol advertisers spent more than two billion dollars last year on marketing products for radio, print, television, and live events. This kind of advertising continues to reach age groups considerably younger than drinking age. According to the CDC, youth in the United States are 96% more likely to see an advertisement promoting alcohol instead of discouraging underage drinking.
On a personal note, during a recent trip to the grocery store with my mom, I noticed a section near the chip aisle advertising what looked like colorful juice boxes for children. Upon closer inspection, these were not meant for kids but for adults at over 11% alcohol. It was disturbing to me how much they looked like the non-alcoholic juice boxes I used to bring to grade school and how easily they could be mistaken for such. Another marketing strategy called alcopop is a term used for a drink combination of alcohol and soda pop--but the actual beverage may not contain any soda at all.This was originally designed as a segue for millennials who liked sugary sodas in the world of alcohol.
Dr. Matthew Rossheim, an assistant professor of global and community health in Mason’s College of Health and Human Services commented on the serious issues surrounding these beverages. “These new products constitute a unique danger to youth. Yet our findings clearly show that young people are not getting the message about how much they can be affected by them.” With their colorful labels, tempting flavors, and containers that look like children’s juice boxes, alcopops directly target young people by advertising with animation, popular music, and humor to bring in potential drinkers. They also use popular brands and familiar characters such as those from the Marvel Comics. For example, Mike’s Hard Beverage company collaborated with the Deadpool 2
MADD Teen Influencer
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movie premiere and San Diego Comic Convention. Unfortunately, drinkers of alcopops confirm they drink more throughout the day and drink more frequently. Dr. Matthew Rossheim concluded, “The most effective evidence-based methods of reducing alcopop-related harm among youth are to increase prices, decrease availability, and limit advertising.”
One way we can help combat the irresponsibility of alcohol companies is to reach out to our state governments and demand changes to protect our state’s youth. The role that parents play in their children’s choices about alcohol is also imperative in
standing up to the influence of these companies. Together, we can help prevent underage drinking and bring an awareness to our communities during Alcohol Awareness month and beyond.
Nominate an Influencer of the Month! Do you know an influential teen who is a great role model? We would love to spotlight them! Click on the icon to the left or use the link below to share why they should be MADD's Influencer of the Month!
TINYURL.COM/MADDIOTM
Minor Decoy Program 2
Healthy Teen Talks, Episode 8:
MADD Teen Influencer Sofia Combel interviews fellow Influencer Dylan, about his experience being a minor decoy with the Alcoholic Beverage Control. To learn more, visit https://www.abc.ca.gov/enforcement/underage-drinking/minor- decoy-program/. Have a topic you’d like us to cover on Healthy Teen Talks? Send us an email at californiamadd@gmail.com or message us on any of our social media platforms! by Sofia & Dylan Combel, MADD Teen Influencers
MADD Teen Influencer
April 2024
Ask A Teen Influencer Looking for some advice? Submit questions anonymously with the link below or by clicking on the icon to the left. MADD Teen Influencers may respond to your question on the next episode of Healthy Teen Talks! TINYURL.COM/MADDTEENADVICE
Join us Saturday, April 20th to raise money for MADD! Click here for more info. by MADD Southern California Upcoming Event: Hike Like MADD 3
MADD's mission is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking. The purpose of the Teen Influencer Group is to provide leadership development for teens by training them to be peer-to-peer educators. These teens provide MADD with the youth perspective and use their voice to educate the public. By reducing and then eliminating underage drinking, these teens will help MADD end drunk driving.
@MADDCalifornia
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