Watching Movies with Alcohol Increases Alcohol Use in Teens
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The old adage “monkey see, monkey do” may apply to teenagers when it comes to watching movies featuring alcohol use.
A new study reported in the latest issue of Pediatrics shows that watching movies that display alcohol use increases the risk of alcohol use in teens. The researchers collected data on more than 5,000 teenagers in the U.K. from birth to the age of 15.
When they turned 15, the teens were asked about their use of alcohol and their exposure to alcohol in movies. The study found that those with the highest exposure to alcohol in movies were 25 percent more likely to have tried alcohol and 74 percent more likely to have binged on booze.
In addition, the teens with the highest exposure were more than twice as likely to consume alcohol on a weekly basis or have an alcohol-related problem.
The study finds this increased risk of teenage alcohol use was present even after taking into account a number of other factors such as parental alcohol use, parental monitoring of the teen, alcohol use in friends and mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety.
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