Teens who watch movies that portray alcohol are more likely to binge drink, according to a recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The study, “Alcohol Consumption in Movies and Adolescent Binge Drinking in 6 European Countries,” published in the April issue of Pediatrics, examined over 16,500 students ages 10 to 19 in Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Scotland. The students were asked how often they had had five or more drinks on one occasion and what popular movies they watched (the majority were Hollywood blockbusters), according to the study. The movies were content coded for screen depiction of alcohol use.
Overall, 27 percent of the adolescents had consumed 5 or more drinks at least once, the study determined. In each country, there was a range of movie alcohol exposure and teens who had seen more alcohol use in movies were significantly more likely to engage in binge drinking, the study showed.
This pattern was observed across cultures in countries with different norms regarding teen and adult alcohol use and drinking culture, according to the study.
“The results suggest that if steps were taken to decrease exposure of adolescents to movie depictions of alcohol, then fewer young people would take up binge drinking,” the study stated.
The authors concluded that further study was necessary but went on to say, “Our findings raise concern about the role popular movies may
play in Europe and beyond in the early experimentation with patterns of alcohol consumption in adolescents. These patterns have the potential to have a detrimental influence on individual health and future drinking trajectories and to be costly at a societal level.”
