Lights, Action, Drinking: Movie Scenes Tempt Teens To Binge (NPR)

Body

Image
Recent Dartmouth Medical School research has found that children who watch movies featuring alcohol use are more than twice as likely to try drinking themselves, reports NPR. The study also found those children are more likely to engage in binge drinking.

James Sargent, a professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School, led the study, published on February 20 in the online journal BMJOpen.

“Alcohol use in the movies is part of alcohol advertising,” Sargent told NPR, noting the contrast with the ban on paid tobacco placements in movies.

The researchers surveyed more than 6,500 children and teenagers—ranging in age from 10 to 14. On-screen alcohol use in a sampling of 532 movies was logged and measured.

Read the full story, published 2/21/12 by NPR.

Office of Communications