Experts at VicHealth, Cancer Council Victoria and the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), say teenagers’ exposure to alcohol advertising encourages them to participate in “risky drinking” behaviour.

Although alcohol advertising on television has shrunk dramatically, a recent study of thousands of Australian high school students over more than 10 years has found that teenagers are still being exposed to about 9 alcohol advertisements a month and that this was encouraging risky drinking.

The research has resulted in renewed calls to ban alcohol advertisements on television during sport, which is only restricted after 6pm on weekends and public holidays, outside these times, alcohol advertising is permitted even during times considered to be “children’s viewing hours”.