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Young Children Exposed to Alcohol Ads

Young children are being exposed to at least two alcohol advertisements per day, according to a study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The study tracked 589 children in Los Angeles between the ages of 11 and 14. They were asked to use handheld devices to count how many alcohol ads per day they were exposed to.

The number of ads children encountered was different based on race. White children saw an average of two ads per day, while Hispanics saw 3 ads per day and African-American children saw four ads per day. Girls also saw an average of 30 percent more ads per day than boys. This may be because they are more likely to read magazines and see print ads.

The ads that the children are seeing are meant to be aimed towards an adult audience, but sometimes are viewed by children. The main source of the advertisements was outdoor billboards at 36 percent, followed by television at 26 percent. Researchers on the study state that these ads may be encouraging the children to drink.

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