Alcohol Sites Called 'Playground' For Teenagers
POSTED: 5:15 p.m. EST March 9, 2004
A new study says that alcohol company Web sites are offering what it calls a "cyber-playground" for underage youths.
The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University estimates that alcohol company Web sites got nearly 700,000 visits by underage people from July through December.
The center director, Jim O'Hara, says many played video games and downloaded music, e-mail gadgets and icons. In a gallery on its Web site, the group said that 10 of 15 beer sites, for example, had games.
Games included racing, sports and simulated bar games.
The sites themselves generally require age verification but there's no way to verify the truthfulness of the user.
A spokesman for the Distilled Spirits Council called the study a publicity stunt aimed at generating fund-raising.
The traffic numbers were generated by comScore Media Metrix.
Researchers also asked parents who use software to control their children's access to certain Web sites were asked if their programs block alcohol-related content. More than three-quarters said it did not.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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