Baltimore, MD - Statement attributable to David H. Jernigan, Ph.D., Director, Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Johns Hopkins UniversityThe American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has spoken out forcefully on the role that media can play in the initiation of alcohol use by underage youth. The AAP advocates that pediatricians encourage the alcohol industry to restrict advertising and product placement in media venues in which more than 10% of the audience is children and adolescents. The AAP also recommends that pediatricians urge Congress to require the alcohol industry to report its annual expenditures to the Federal Trade Commission—including how much money spent to place advertising in media venues where children and adolescents represent more than 10% of the market share. Currently, voluntary advertising restrictions allow for venues where up to 30% of the audience is under 21. The AAP is a welcome voice in an important public health debate. View the AAP Policy Statement | 
