New data has revealed that a significant number of Australian children are being exposed to alcohol advertising, especially on commercial television—despite existing regulations aimed at preventing this.
A national survey of children aged 15 to 17, commissioned by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and Cancer Council WA, found that 70 per cent recalled seeing alcohol ads in the previous month. Alarmingly, nearly one in three said they saw these ads on television.
Dr Ashlea Bartram, Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), said commercial television was the most common place children reported encountering alcohol marketing. “They also saw ads in bottle shops, social media, and on the internet, with many being exposed to marketing across multiple sites,” she said.
These findings raise concerns about the effectiveness of the current Commercial Television Code of Practice, which is supposed to protect young audiences from alcohol advertising during children’s viewing hours. However, a loophole allows the ads to air during televised sporting events—even when children are likely to be watching.
“This really underscores the need for reform,” said Ayla Chorley, CEO of FARE. “It defies logic that even though alcohol companies aren’t supposed to market their products to under 18s, they are allowed to advertise during televised sporting events when they know thousands of kids are watching.”
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Julia Stafford, Deputy Chair of Cancer Council’s Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical Activity Committee, said the research highlights how deeply alcohol advertising has infiltrated children’s everyday environments.
“We must see an end to this insidious creep of alcohol marketing into every area of our children’s daily lives,” she said.
According to the study, the industry’s proposed changes may only worsen the issue. Free TV Australia’s draft Code of Practice does not close the existing loophole and, in fact, suggests extending ad slots on weekends, public holidays and school holidays—potentially adding 800 more hours of exposure per year.
Ayla Chorley stressed the urgency for regulatory bodies like the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to reject the draft code. “This new data highlights how critical it is that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) rejects Free TV Australia’s draft Code of Practice and demand an approach that meets community expectations—one that protects our children from harmful alcohol advertising at all times.”
Public concern is already high. Previous FARE research found 82 per cent of Australians were worried about alcohol ads during sport, while 90 per cent opposed the proposed changes.
