Young people are drinking less in real life. But film and TV paints a different picture

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 04:30:27 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/young-people-are-drinking-less-in-real-life-but-film-and-tv-paints-a-different-picture-223854>

"The new Mean Girls is a fresh take on a classic teen comedy, this time
appealing to a new audience: Gen Z. So how does the film paint the new
generation? As one that loves to drink.

Mean Girls is filled with references to and depictions of alcohol. There’s
drinking at parties, a scene where Cady gets drunk, and even a joke about a
vodka-filled inhaler.

On-screen alcohol exposure is an important issue, particularly when underage
drinking is shown. Greater on-screen exposure to alcohol is associated with an
increased risk of beginning to drink alcohol at a younger age, and increased
likelihood of weekly drinking and binge drinking among young people.

But despite the attempts to appeal to a young audience, the new Mean Girls
film doesn’t reflect most of Gen Z’s attitudes towards drinking. In fact,
research shows young people are increasingly rejecting alcohol, especially when
compared to older generations. So why does alcohol retain a chokehold on our
screens?"

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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