London, Sept 7: YouTube music videos that contain sexual imagery or lyrics promoting alcohol use are likely to influence adolescents negatively, a study has warned. The study found that video content involving alcohol were also associated with sexual imagery including objectification of women, that influenced persol image, lifestyle and sociability of the user.
Some videos also showed encouragement of excessive drinking including those with branded alcohol, with no negative consequences to the drinker shown.
“Adolescent alcohol consumption, including binge drinking, is a significant health problem,” said lead author Joanne Cranwell, Psychologist at the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies (UKCTS), and from The University of Nottingham in Britain.
“Excessive drinking in young adults is also linked to crimil behaviour, unprotected sex, progression to illegal drug use and is also a risk factor for alcohol dependence in later life,” Cranwell added. Out of a sample of 2,000, in the age group of 15 to 16-year-olds 11 per cent reportedly had sex under the influence of alcohol and regretted it later.
Almost 10 per cent of boys and 12 per cent of girls reported having unsafe sex after drinking, the study said. Further, the overt use of celebrity endorsement or brand ambassadors for alcohol products in music videos appears to contravene voluntary codes of practice.
In addition, the research also claimed that several alcohol companies have adopted marketing strategies that contravene their own advertising codes of practice. Previous studies have found that teegers were heavily exposed to images of alcohol and tobacco in YouTube music, effectively glamourising the habit and promoting underage drinking and smoking. (IANS)