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The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
I've seen devastation wrought by alcohol firsthand. Putting more ads on TV will not help
New proposed rules for free-to-air television in Australia could allow alcohol advertising from 10am even on weekends and during school holidays. As someone with lived experience of intergenerational addiction, I'm speaking out about this because this isn't just irresponsible, it's dangerous. When we talk about alcohol ads on television, we're not talking about harmless marketing. We're talking about messages that reach into Australian homes, living rooms and seep into young minds. I am alarmed by Free TV Australia's proposal, which would mean an additional 800 hours of alcohol advertising every year. Already, one in three children in Australia see alcohol ads on TV. This is not harmless. Research shows that 90 per cent of adults with addiction began using substances problematically before the age of 18. I know this story intimately. Addiction isn't just a theory to me. It's not a policy brief or a line in a report. It's something I was born into. I grew up in a family shaped by trauma, violence and addiction. My dad struggled with alcohol and drugs and was imprisoned. By 16, I was living in a young women's refuge and many of us there used substances to cope with trauma and family violence. We were using them to numb, to escape, to soothe the wounds no one else could see. It was a coping mechanism, our reality. But what changed my life wasn't luck. It was a community of support. Today, I'm proud to lead SMART Recovery Australia, an organisation that now supports more than 450 meetings every week across the country, including 16 youth meetings reaching over 160 young people weekly. We are growing because the need is growing. Young people are crying out for support that actually meets them where they are at. We help people manage addictive behaviours in a safe, non-judgmental environment. We also host online meetings which are available to people who live regionally and remotely, so people can get the help they need without the obstacle of distance giving them an excuse not to. Around 70 per cent of all SMART Recovery participants attend to address alcohol use, and many of our young participants are grappling with early exposure and the lifelong consequences of alcohol harm. That's why we're urging the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to reject this proposal and instead stand with front-line services, public health experts, and families across the country. To stand with young people because Australia is facing a youth addiction crisis. National surveys show that one in six adolescents are struggling with some form of addiction whether it's alcohol, vaping, gaming, or drugs. These numbers represent real young people, like the ones I see every day. They are smart, creative, hurting, but hopeful. What they need is protection, not profit-driven promotion of harmful products. We believe in giving young people real choices, real support and real hope. Because addiction is behaviour, and we can all change our behaviour if we are given the tools and resources. READ MORE: We need to protect young people, not profit from their vulnerability. We need to fund programs that work and not allow harmful industries to take up more space in their lives. Every young life matters. Every future counts, and no one should be left to face addiction alone. This is more than a policy debate. This is about more than a change in broadcasting schedules. It's a question of values. Do we value young lives, or do we value alcohol industry profits? Let's stop pushing ads into loungerooms where children are watching. Let's start backing solutions that work. We must choose prevention over profit, protection over promotion and community over chaos, because young lives depend on it. New proposed rules for free-to-air television in Australia could allow alcohol advertising from 10am even on weekends and during school holidays. As someone with lived experience of intergenerational addiction, I'm speaking out about this because this isn't just irresponsible, it's dangerous. When we talk about alcohol ads on television, we're not talking about harmless marketing. We're talking about messages that reach into Australian homes, living rooms and seep into young minds. I am alarmed by Free TV Australia's proposal, which would mean an additional 800 hours of alcohol advertising every year. Already, one in three children in Australia see alcohol ads on TV. This is not harmless. Research shows that 90 per cent of adults with addiction began using substances problematically before the age of 18. I know this story intimately. Addiction isn't just a theory to me. It's not a policy brief or a line in a report. It's something I was born into. I grew up in a family shaped by trauma, violence and addiction. My dad struggled with alcohol and drugs and was imprisoned. By 16, I was living in a young women's refuge and many of us there used substances to cope with trauma and family violence. We were using them to numb, to escape, to soothe the wounds no one else could see. It was a coping mechanism, our reality. But what changed my life wasn't luck. It was a community of support. Today, I'm proud to lead SMART Recovery Australia, an organisation that now supports more than 450 meetings every week across the country, including 16 youth meetings reaching over 160 young people weekly. We are growing because the need is growing. Young people are crying out for support that actually meets them where they are at. We help people manage addictive behaviours in a safe, non-judgmental environment. We also host online meetings which are available to people who live regionally and remotely, so people can get the help they need without the obstacle of distance giving them an excuse not to. Around 70 per cent of all SMART Recovery participants attend to address alcohol use, and many of our young participants are grappling with early exposure and the lifelong consequences of alcohol harm. That's why we're urging the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to reject this proposal and instead stand with front-line services, public health experts, and families across the country. To stand with young people because Australia is facing a youth addiction crisis. National surveys show that one in six adolescents are struggling with some form of addiction whether it's alcohol, vaping, gaming, or drugs. These numbers represent real young people, like the ones I see every day. They are smart, creative, hurting, but hopeful. What they need is protection, not profit-driven promotion of harmful products. We believe in giving young people real choices, real support and real hope. Because addiction is behaviour, and we can all change our behaviour if we are given the tools and resources. READ MORE: We need to protect young people, not profit from their vulnerability. We need to fund programs that work and not allow harmful industries to take up more space in their lives. Every young life matters. Every future counts, and no one should be left to face addiction alone. This is more than a policy debate. This is about more than a change in broadcasting schedules. It's a question of values. Do we value young lives, or do we value alcohol industry profits? Let's stop pushing ads into loungerooms where children are watching. Let's start backing solutions that work. We must choose prevention over profit, protection over promotion and community over chaos, because young lives depend on it. New proposed rules for free-to-air television in Australia could allow alcohol advertising from 10am even on weekends and during school holidays. As someone with lived experience of intergenerational addiction, I'm speaking out about this because this isn't just irresponsible, it's dangerous. When we talk about alcohol ads on television, we're not talking about harmless marketing. We're talking about messages that reach into Australian homes, living rooms and seep into young minds. I am alarmed by Free TV Australia's proposal, which would mean an additional 800 hours of alcohol advertising every year. Already, one in three children in Australia see alcohol ads on TV. This is not harmless. Research shows that 90 per cent of adults with addiction began using substances problematically before the age of 18. I know this story intimately. Addiction isn't just a theory to me. It's not a policy brief or a line in a report. It's something I was born into. I grew up in a family shaped by trauma, violence and addiction. My dad struggled with alcohol and drugs and was imprisoned. By 16, I was living in a young women's refuge and many of us there used substances to cope with trauma and family violence. We were using them to numb, to escape, to soothe the wounds no one else could see. It was a coping mechanism, our reality. But what changed my life wasn't luck. It was a community of support. Today, I'm proud to lead SMART Recovery Australia, an organisation that now supports more than 450 meetings every week across the country, including 16 youth meetings reaching over 160 young people weekly. We are growing because the need is growing. Young people are crying out for support that actually meets them where they are at. We help people manage addictive behaviours in a safe, non-judgmental environment. We also host online meetings which are available to people who live regionally and remotely, so people can get the help they need without the obstacle of distance giving them an excuse not to. Around 70 per cent of all SMART Recovery participants attend to address alcohol use, and many of our young participants are grappling with early exposure and the lifelong consequences of alcohol harm. That's why we're urging the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to reject this proposal and instead stand with front-line services, public health experts, and families across the country. To stand with young people because Australia is facing a youth addiction crisis. National surveys show that one in six adolescents are struggling with some form of addiction whether it's alcohol, vaping, gaming, or drugs. These numbers represent real young people, like the ones I see every day. They are smart, creative, hurting, but hopeful. What they need is protection, not profit-driven promotion of harmful products. We believe in giving young people real choices, real support and real hope. Because addiction is behaviour, and we can all change our behaviour if we are given the tools and resources. READ MORE: We need to protect young people, not profit from their vulnerability. We need to fund programs that work and not allow harmful industries to take up more space in their lives. Every young life matters. Every future counts, and no one should be left to face addiction alone. This is more than a policy debate. This is about more than a change in broadcasting schedules. It's a question of values. Do we value young lives, or do we value alcohol industry profits? Let's stop pushing ads into loungerooms where children are watching. Let's start backing solutions that work. We must choose prevention over profit, protection over promotion and community over chaos, because young lives depend on it. New proposed rules for free-to-air television in Australia could allow alcohol advertising from 10am even on weekends and during school holidays. As someone with lived experience of intergenerational addiction, I'm speaking out about this because this isn't just irresponsible, it's dangerous. When we talk about alcohol ads on television, we're not talking about harmless marketing. We're talking about messages that reach into Australian homes, living rooms and seep into young minds. I am alarmed by Free TV Australia's proposal, which would mean an additional 800 hours of alcohol advertising every year. Already, one in three children in Australia see alcohol ads on TV. This is not harmless. Research shows that 90 per cent of adults with addiction began using substances problematically before the age of 18. I know this story intimately. Addiction isn't just a theory to me. It's not a policy brief or a line in a report. It's something I was born into. I grew up in a family shaped by trauma, violence and addiction. My dad struggled with alcohol and drugs and was imprisoned. By 16, I was living in a young women's refuge and many of us there used substances to cope with trauma and family violence. We were using them to numb, to escape, to soothe the wounds no one else could see. It was a coping mechanism, our reality. But what changed my life wasn't luck. It was a community of support. Today, I'm proud to lead SMART Recovery Australia, an organisation that now supports more than 450 meetings every week across the country, including 16 youth meetings reaching over 160 young people weekly. We are growing because the need is growing. Young people are crying out for support that actually meets them where they are at. We help people manage addictive behaviours in a safe, non-judgmental environment. We also host online meetings which are available to people who live regionally and remotely, so people can get the help they need without the obstacle of distance giving them an excuse not to. Around 70 per cent of all SMART Recovery participants attend to address alcohol use, and many of our young participants are grappling with early exposure and the lifelong consequences of alcohol harm. That's why we're urging the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to reject this proposal and instead stand with front-line services, public health experts, and families across the country. To stand with young people because Australia is facing a youth addiction crisis. National surveys show that one in six adolescents are struggling with some form of addiction whether it's alcohol, vaping, gaming, or drugs. These numbers represent real young people, like the ones I see every day. They are smart, creative, hurting, but hopeful. What they need is protection, not profit-driven promotion of harmful products. We believe in giving young people real choices, real support and real hope. Because addiction is behaviour, and we can all change our behaviour if we are given the tools and resources. READ MORE: We need to protect young people, not profit from their vulnerability. We need to fund programs that work and not allow harmful industries to take up more space in their lives. Every young life matters. Every future counts, and no one should be left to face addiction alone. This is more than a policy debate. This is about more than a change in broadcasting schedules. It's a question of values. Do we value young lives, or do we value alcohol industry profits? Let's stop pushing ads into loungerooms where children are watching. Let's start backing solutions that work. We must choose prevention over profit, protection over promotion and community over chaos, because young lives depend on it.
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
New Australian free-to-air TV rules could allow alcohol ads from 10am, even on weekends and school holidays
Free-to-air broadcasters want classification rules changed to allow an additional 800 hours of alcohol ads every year despite one in three children already being exposed to liquor commercials on television. Despite laws banning alcohol marketing during children's viewing hours, broadcasters have a 'sports loophole' in their code of practice which permits the airing of alcohol ads during televised sporting events. A revised code of practice, which the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) is considering this month, does not close the loophole and instead proposes extending M programming slots, during which alcohol ads are allowed. The code would establish a revised set of rules for what can and cannot be shown on commercial television. The extension proposed by Free TV Australia would mean daytime M programming would expand from three to five hours a day – from 10am to 3pm – and there would be no allowances for school holidays and weekends when children are home. On the eve of a decision by Acma on whether to register the revised code, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (Fare) has released a study which found 70% of Australian children aged 15 to 17 recalled seeing alcohol ads in the previous month. Television is the major source of the ads. Sign up to get Guardian Australia's weekly media diary as a free newsletter The Fare CEO, Ayla Chorley, said more needs to be done to protect children and young people from the harms of alcohol advertising. 'This really underscores the need for reform to the regulation of alcohol advertising, like the commercial TV code of practice, which allows a sports loophole,' Chorley said. 'It defies logic that even though alcohol companies aren't supposed to market their products to under 18s, they are allowed to advertise during televised sporting events when they know thousands of kids are watching. 'This new data highlights how critical it is that the Acma rejects Free TV Australia's draft code of practice and demand an approach that meets community expectations – one that protects our children from harmful alcohol advertising at all times.' Julia Stafford from the Cancer Council of Western Australia said the 'insidious creep' of alcohol marketing into every area of children's lives must be stopped. 'We know that when children are exposed to alcohol ads, they are more likely to start drinking earlier in life and at riskier levels,' Stafford said. Acma has already indicated the proposal may not meet community standards and said in a response to the draft revised code in November: 'Viewers may have concerns about any extension of time when alcohol advertising is permitted on television.' The proposal to extend M zones is just one of the changes to the self-regulatory Free TV code of practice, which has not been updated for a decade. Sign up to Weekly Beast Amanda Meade's weekly diary on the latest in Australian media, free every Friday after newsletter promotion Children and Media Australia's submission on the draft code argues it will make it unsafe for children because they will encounter M content during weekends and school holidays as well as from 7.30pm. 'These proposals show a profound lack of concern for children and their lives, and a lack of interest in serving the family audience,' CMA said. Free TV has ignored Acma's suggestion that it update the code to include content provided online, which would take in their streaming services 9Now, 7Plus and 10Play. 'The Acma considers that viewers would benefit from broadcasters committing to voluntarily extend some or all of its broadcast television safeguards to all television content provided online,' the response said. These catchup services are not subject to regulation by Acma. The broadcasting watchdog urged Free TV to follow ABC and SBS's lead and provide content safeguards for all of its audience. Acma said viewership of broadcasters' on-demand services continues to grow, rising from 18% in 2017 to 43% in 2023, while free-to-air viewership continues to fall. Since 2022, more Australians watch streaming services than free-to-air television. However, the self-regulatory codes of practice for broadcasters do not apply to the streaming services, or to the online catchup TV services offered by the networks.
