Alcohol, tobacco, warnings on music videos, study suggests

Music videos can be hazardous to young viewers’ health, especially if they are exposed to tobacco and alcohol content.

The answer, according to a new British study suggests we will see the inclusion of warning messages, or see certain scenes edited out. This is because most at risk are 13 to 15 year old girls, who are inspired to drink and smoke because they are glamorised.

Research from the University of Nottingham (and published in The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health) showed that repeated exposure while watching such videos – especially if they are portrayed in a positive light or have undeclared product placement –poses a ”significant health hazard that requires appropriate regulatory control.”

Their conclusions: “YouTube music videos deliver millions of gross impressions of alcohol and tobacco content. Adolescents are exposed much more than adults. Music videos are a major global medium of exposure to such content.”

During a 12-week period, researchers analysed 32 videos in the British Top 40 between November 2013 and January 2014. The calculated the number of 10 second intervals of the offending content in each of the videos to calculate impressions. They estimated that on average, 22% of teenagers and 6% of adults watched them.

The surveys were completed by 2,068 teenagers between 11 and 18, in addition to 2,232 adults aged 19 and over.

The results found the average percentage of viewing across the 32 videos was 22% for teenagers – and 6% for adults.

The study also found those aged 13 to 15 received an average of 11.48 tobacco impressions; those 16 to 18 were exposed to an average of 10.5; and adults were exposed to 2.85. Exposure was around 65% higher among girls. An estimated 52.11 alcohol impressions were delivered to each teen, compared to 14.13 to each adult. Individual exposure levels rocketed to 70.86 among 13-15 year old girls.

Researchers said, “If these levels of exposure were typical, then in one year, music videos would be expected to deliver over 4 billion impressions of alcohol, and nearly 1 billion of tobacco, in Britain alone.”

The videos with the greatest amount of tobacco references included Trumpets by Jason Derulo, Love Me Again by John Newman and Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. Videos with the highest impressions of alcohol were Timber by Pitbull featuring Ke$ha and Drunk In Love by Beyoncé.

“It is well established that young people exposed to depictions of tobacco and alcohol content in films are more likely to start smoking or to consume alcohol, but the effect of imagery in other media, including new online media such as YouTube music videos, has received relatively little attention,” lead researcher Dr. Jo Cranwell said in the report.

Britain already has advisory age ratings for videos with overtly sexual or violence scenes as well as covering drug misuse, bad language and nudity.

It bans paid-for placement of branded tobacco products and the promotion of alcohol is regulated, especially when younger viewers are watching. But there is no regulation in music videos.

Now, Dr. Cramwell suggests, it’s time to also tackle those which could effect unhealthy behaviour in viewers. This could be done in cooperation with video makers and publishers. The study notes that film studios are aware that depicting drinking and smoking influence younger viewers to take these up – and make the point that Disney recently announced that it will no longer feature smoking in its films.