Since the dawn of television, extensive research has been done to determine what effects, if any, television viewing has on children. Much of the debate centers around violent, sexual and immoral conduct within the shows aired on television. However, a less popular issue concerns what effect television advertisements have on young viewers. While studies and research have been done in most areas of advertising, one topic remains high on the list of study and debate – alcohol. I believe that this is the most important area of research, as the viewing of such advertisements could have dangerous effects on a child"s beliefs and, ultimately, health. Do alcohol advertisements on television affect children"s views, attitudes, beliefs and habits concerning alcoholic consumption? If so, what is being done about the problem? What steps can adults take to counter any ill effects such viewing might have on children?.

             This topic became of great interest to me after I took some time to watch television, trying to see things from a child"s point of view. Later, I watched more TV and imagined that I was a parent. What struck me the most was a Budweiser beer commercial, which used methods of advertising that would very much appeal to children. I continued channel-surf, looking now only for the advertisements. The alcohol advertisements bothered me the most. (Some examples are attached to the end of this paper with conclusions I have drawn.) I then decided to research more into the realm of televised alcohol advertising and its effects on children. I didn"t expect to find very much, but surprisingly, I did.

             In order to fully understand any such effects on children or what, if anything, needs to be done, the habits of child viewers must first be examined. On average, most children watch between three and four hours of television a day, or approximately 28 hours each week. In one year, most children spend 1,500 hours watching TV, compared to the 900 hours they spend in the classroom (Berk, 1994).