Zero-alcohol drinks which convincingly mimic their alcoholic counterparts are providing a “gateway” into underage drinking for Australian teenagers, new research suggests. A survey commissioned by Cancer Council Australia interviewed 679 Australian teenagers in every state and territory aged between 15 and 17 years old. The majority of the teens (57 per cent) said they found the drinks to be appealing, while more than one in three (37 per cent) had tried them.
Zero-alcohol drinks contain negligible amounts of alcohol (less than 0.5 per cent) but feature the labels and branding of established alcohol companies. They’re generally designed to imitate the flavour, packaging and overall appearance of alcoholic products.
“Alcohol brands claim zero-alcohol products are aimed at only adults,” Deputy Chair of Cancer Council’s Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical Activity Committee, Julia Stafford, said. “However the study found that young people often nominated their own age group as the one these products would most commonly appeal to.”
Previous studies have concluded that the more children and young people are exposed to alcohol marketing, the greater the likelihood is that they will start to use alcohol earlier, and to drink at risky levels.
Some of the teenagers themselves suggested that the drinks could act as a “gateway” to alcohol use, by allowing them to become accustomed to the taste of alcoholic products.
Unlike alcoholic beverages, there are currently no limitations on the marketing or sale of zero-alcohol drinks.
Four out of five teenagers in the study recalled seeing zero-alcohol products for sale most commonly in supermarkets – while three-quarters had seen them advertised.
Four out of five teenagers in the study recalled seeing zero-alcohol products for sale -most commonly in supermarkets – while three-quarters had seen them advertised..
Many described seeing ads for these drinks on TikTok and Instagram.
“Young people thought these ads were funny, which was clearly memorable as they often recalled the alcoholic brands,” lead researcher and research fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, Dr Leon Booth, said.
Last November, the manufacturers of pre-mixed alcopop Hard Solo were forced to change its name to Hard Rated after the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code Scheme (ABAC) determined its design could “strongly” appeal to underage people.
This decision was made on the basis that the drink too closely mimicked Solo – a popular soft drink freely available to Australian teenagers.
However, this study suggests that the reverse marketing tactic could also put teens at risk, by making them more familiar with alcohol brands and normalising drinking.
“Zero-alcohol products potentially act as a trojan horse for the alcohol industry to get in front of young people, exposing them to additional alcohol marketing,” Booth said.