The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday of the "increasing use of sophisticated online marketing techniques" for the sale of alcohol and stressed the "need for more effective regulation" to address this situation.
The WHO has presented a report which concludes that "young people and heavy drinkers are increasingly targeted by alcohol advertising, often to the detriment of their health."
The report, entitled 'Reducing the harm of alcohol by regulating marketing, advertising and promotion', details how alcohol is marketed today across national borders. According mint data to the WHO, alcohol also uses 'digital media' to promote itself.
Worldwide, three million people die each year as a result of harmful use of alcohol – one every ten seconds, representing approximately 5% of all deaths, WHO said. A disproportionate number of alcohol-related deaths “occur among younger people”, with 13.5% of these deaths occurring between the ages of 20 and 39.
“Alcohol robs young people, their families and societies of their lives and potential,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “Yet despite the clear health risks, controls on alcohol marketing are much weaker than for other psychoactive products. Better, well-enforced and more consistent regulation of alcohol marketing would save and improve the lives of young people around the world,” he insisted.
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A source cited in the new WHO report highlights that more than 70% of media spending by major US-based alcohol retailers in 2019 was through promotions, product placement and online ads on social media.
“The growing importance of digital media means that alcohol marketing has become increasingly cross-border,” said Dag Rekve of the World Health Organization’s Alcohol, Drugs and Addictive Behaviours Unit. “This makes it more difficult for countries that are regulating alcohol marketing to effectively control it in their jurisdictions. More collaboration between countries is needed in this area.
