With alcohol advertising on the agenda in Oz recently it is interesting to see that New Zealand has altered its alcohol advertising laws. Alcohol advertising and promotion may no longer carry any environmental benefits of drinking and any ambiguous messages will no longer be allowed in NZ.The changes will come into effect as of January 2013.
At the centre of the debate in Oz are questions about the effect of alcohol advertising on children in particular. Research shows that alcohol advertising and marketing messages are getting through to children and young people well below the legal drinking age. This is promoting underage drinking and the negative consequences that it brings. These advertisements and marketing strategies are making children and minors more accepting of alcohol and about the positive expectations about alcohol’s effects.
Because of the damaging physical and psychological effects of alcohol they should be educated about its effects and not numbed to the consequences of binge drinking. Not only does it hamper their growth and affect their fragile emotional states but also hinders their psychological development, as many studies have proven. Perhaps New Zealand’s example is one to be followed, if not entirely but at least in part.