Influence

            In "Under the Influence,"Marilyn Elias, a health and behavior reporter, states the effects alcohol advertising has on young children. Elias states that middle-schoolers who are most familiar with beer ads have the most favorable attitudes about alcohol and expect to drink more frequently as adults than classmates who barely recognize the ads, that Ray McGrath says beer industry commercials are designed for adults viewers and never target young people, and that kids pay attention to beer commercials and brand names. I find the author's points very convincing because she has throughly research the history of alcohol advertising and the effects it has on children. .
             Elias writes about the different effects alcohol television advertising has on young children. She writes this essay because she believes that these alcohol advertising influences young children to drink. She also believes that alcohol advertising shouldn't be advertized during sports programs because majority of young children watch sports. This report appeared in USA Today on November 3, 1998.
             First, Elias states that middle-schoolers that are most familiar with beer ads have the most favorable attitudes about alcohol and expect to drink more frequently as adults than classmates who barely recognize the ads. She is saying that children, who know about the beer ads are more likely to drink more as adults than the one's who don't know. She writes, " Another new study of seventh-to-tenth-graders find those who view and like alcohol commercials are most likely to drink than kids less exposed to the ads" (172). I am not really sure whether those who view beer ads are more likely to drink then others, but I feel that it does influence them in some ways.
             Elias also points out that Ray McGrath says beer industry commercials are designed for adult viewers and never target young people. He states that beer commercials aren't designed to catch the attention of young viewers.