CALGARY - Provincial officials say they have little power in halting digital technology a U.S. report says is increasingly tapping the underage booze market.
Advanced media using everything from YouTube to cellphones is aggressively bypassing conventional regulators to reach potential underage drinkers, says a report titled Alcohol Marketing in the Digital Age, co-authored by Dr. Kathryn Montgomery of American University in Washington, D.C.
The report calls on government officials to investigate the "exploding" phenomenon and determine whether actions currently taken are protecting youth from such marketing.
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission takes seriously the risk of exposing minors to booze promotion, said spokeswoman Lynn Hutchings-Mah.
"Liquor is an adult product and we want to keep it an adult product," she said.
But Hutchings-Mah conceded she was unfamiliar with the digital promotional approach, adding there's little the AGLC can do to regulate much of it, which originates beyond its jurisdiction.
The commission, she said, actively bans signage or advertising themes using "athletes and youth-oriented groups" and "media targeting minors can't be depicted."
Hutchings-Mah said she can't recall the commission censuring or penalizing any firm for violating those guidelines.
Montgomery's report states minors can easily deceive age verification barriers on liquor websites, while alcohol manufacturers entice youth by creating virtual cities where participants can "live" and use e-mail. It points to a Smirnoff video marketing ice tea that attracted 600,000 hits in 10 days.
Marketers, it states, also use the technology to collect information on youth and track their behaviour.
A study showed that in Alberta in 2005, 63.4% of students in Grade 7 to 12 drank alcohol at least once in the past year.
bill.kaufmann@sunmedia.ca
