More than half of U.S. teens exposed to alcohol marketing

U.S. teens encounter alcohol ads regularly.

July 24, 2024

A new CDC study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine Focus, finds that more than half of U.S. adolescents (aged 12–17) report sometimes or often seeing or hearing alcohol advertisements while streaming videos, watching TV, going to the movies, or browsing the internet.

CDC analyzed data from the 2021 YouthStyles survey, a national survey administered by Porter Novelli. According to the CDC report, the chance of being exposed to alcohol ads is not the same for all adolescents. Hispanic adolescents have a 60% greater chance of being exposed to alcohol ads compared to White adolescents. The report also finds that teens’ chance of seeing or hearing alcohol ads increased by 20% with each year of age between 12 and 17.

Youth exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with underage drinking or drinking more. This new study underscores the importance of monitoring youth exposure to alcohol marketing, including digital marketing. These findings can inform our understanding of youth exposure to alcohol marketing and help identify strategies to reduce such exposure, particularly among teens who are disproportionately affected.  Alcohol use among youth can be reduced through efforts to limit this exposure and other proven strategies, including enforcing underage drinking policies, increasing the price of alcohol, and reducing its overall availability.

Social media resources:

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