Beer and liquor companies that market alcohol to underage drinkers on social media networks such as Facebook are coming under fire from the World Health Organization.
Warning that alcohol is being "marketed through increasingly sophisticated advertising and promotion techniques," the WHO endorsed a strategy Thursday opposing advertising aimed at youths and encouraging taxes on alcoholic beverages, the Associated Press reported.
The online presence of liquor makers and brewers is booming, the report noted. Absolut vodka and Smirnoff Ice have nearly 500,000 Facebook fans each, and Heineken boasts 400,000 users who "like" the beer, the AP said.
Each year, alcohol causes 2.5 million deaths worldwide, including 320,000 deaths of people under the age of 30, WHO says. A 21-year-old man died in France last week at a booze bash publicized on Facebook and attended by 10,000 young people.
While not a legislative document, the WHO report will alert the powerful liquor industry that countries are ready to collaborate on developing tougher international laws, the AP said.
The Global Alcohol Producers Group, which represents Heineken, Anheuser-Busch and others, called WHO’s effort an "important and constructive step forward in helping address alcohol issues around the world."
