Teenagers are increasingly under the influence of savvy alcohol marketers, according to leading alcohol researcher Professor Sandra Jones.
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Prof Jones, director of the Australian Catholic University’s centre for health and social research, will run workshops in the region next week to help parents protect their children from alcohol-related harm.
Almost one in eight deaths, and one in five hospitalisations, of Australians under 25 is due to alcohol and Prof Jones said more awareness was needed.
‘‘The way alcohol is marketed has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, so the type of alcohol marketing kids are exposed to is fundamentally different to what their parents were exposed to,’’ she said.
‘‘We’re working with lots of parents to make them aware of all the different forms of marketing, and the pressures kids are under to drink.
‘‘From alcohol advertising on Facebook to pop-up ads on YouTube videos, through to branded merchandising on T-shirts and caps and sponsorship of sporting or music events, alcohol marketing is everywhere.’’
Prof Jones said the workshops, running at Shellharbour and Wollongong on June 15 and Nowra on June 16, would give parents strategies to help protect their kids.
‘‘Parents should use these marketing ploys to have a conversation with their kids about the unrealistic messages they contain,’’ she said.
‘‘The perception young people get is that everyone is drinking but that’s not actually true – in Australia there’s actually a decline in under-age drinking so there’s less teens drinking now than five to 10 years ago.’’
Prof Jones said while there were campaigns against the use of illicit drugs, not enough was being done to showcase the terrible problem of alcohol misuse.
‘‘If you look at deaths from alcohol among young people, it’s more prevalent than any other type of drug-related death but many still think alcohol is relatively harmless,’’ she said.
As well as having conversations with their children, parents could also be proactive in the community by complaining about alcohol marketing targeting children.
Prof Jones said community groups, politicians and local government also had a part to play in limiting children’s exposure to alcohol advertising.
Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education senior policy officer Amy Ferguson will also present at the workshops, which are being run by the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District in conjunction with local councils.
To book call 4254 2794 or email Donna.forknall@sesiahs.health .nsw.gov.au.
