Booze apps slammed for targeting young people

A university professor is calling for government action on alcohol advertising on mobile apps, which are targeting young people and carry no age restrictions.

JCU’s professor Lynn Eagle and her team of researchers conducted a study involving alcohol use and discovered almost 80% promote heavy drinking.

She explained many of the apps are aimed at young people and likely to work well. In addition, she noted there are no age restrictions on any of the apps.

“Presenting smoking and drinking in an entertainment context encourages young people to start smoking and drinking,” she said, as reported by Medical Xpress. “There is plenty of material showing that what they are doing is effective.”

The research revealed sophisticated advertising strategies are used by more than a third of the pro-alcohol apps, which are typically more carefully designed in comparison to anti-alcohol and pro-moderation apps.

Eagle also noted how apps such as Drink Thin, which promotes a diet based solely on alcohol, and Drunk College Sorority Girls & Frat Boy Party Edition, encourage “unhealthy, unsafe or violent behaviour” in association to drinking.

Furthermore, it was estimated that US$100 million of alcohol tax revenue in 2010 was resultant of underage drinkers.

“If the industry can’t effectively regulate itself then it allows the cowboys to develop and use these apps,” Eagle said. “You don’t want to have to wait for a generation of teens to start showing signs of problem drinking before you act.”