The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that there is increased use of sophisticated online marketing techniques targeted at young people and heavy alcohol drinkers.
Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said alcohol robs young people, their families, and societies of their lives and potential.
“Yet despite the clear risks to health, controls on the marketing of alcohol are much weaker than for other psychoactive products. Better, well-enforced, and more consistent regulation of alcohol marketing would both save and improve young lives across the world,” said Ghebreyesus.
According to a WHO report, over 70 percent of media spending of leading alcohol marketers based in the USA in 2019 was through promotions, product placement and online advertisements on social media.
Worldwide, three million people die each year as a result of harmful use of alcohol – one every 10 seconds – representing about 5 percent of all deaths.
A disproportionate number of these alcohol-related deaths occur among younger people, with 13.5% of all deaths among those who are 20–39 years of age being alcohol-related.
Alcohol, Drugs and Addictive Behaviours Unit at the World Health Organization, Dag Rekve said the rising importance of digital media means that alcohol marketing has become increasingly cross-border.
“This makes it more difficult for countries that are regulating alcohol marketing to effectively control it in their jurisdictions. More collaboration between countries in this area is needed,” he said.
The lack of regulation to address cross-border marketing of alcohol is of particular concern for children and adolescents, women, and heavy drinkers.
Studies have shown that starting to drink alcohol at a young age is a predictor of hazardous drinking in young adulthood and beyond.
Furthermore, teenage drinkers are more vulnerable to harm from alcohol consumption than older drinkers. Areas of the world with young and growing populations, such as Africa and Latin America, are being particularly targeted.
