YouTube slammed for booze images
File picture: Dado Ruvic File picture: Dado Ruvic
London - British teenagers are exposed to a high level of alcohol and tobacco images in YouTube music videos, research suggests.
Those aged 13 to 15 have the most exposure to such images, which have been shown to increase the chance of young people starting to smoke or drink, experts argue.
Writing in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, they said relatively little attention had been paid to YouTube content.
The researchers said: “In the UK, paid-for placement of tobacco products in music videos is prohibited by the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002, but this law does not apply to videos produced outside the UK. Alcohol promotion is much less tightly controlled.”
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