Characteristics and Effectiveness of Alcohol Website Age Gates Preventing Underage User Access. (24th October 2020)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Characteristics and Effectiveness of Alcohol Website Age Gates Preventing Underage User Access. (24th October 2020)
- Main Title:
- Characteristics and Effectiveness of Alcohol Website Age Gates Preventing Underage User Access
- Authors:
- Barry, Adam E
Primm, Kristin
Russell, Hannah
Russell, Alex M - Abstract:
- Abstract: Aims: Examine and evaluate the overall effectiveness of age gates preventing access of underage users to alcohol websites. Methods: Assess the characteristics of digital age gates among the top 25 alcohol brands among American adolescents, including type of age gate employed and resulting actions of repeated access requests indicating the user was under the legal drinking age. Results: All official alcohol brand websites examined included an age gate, requiring either entering one's date of birth (DOB, 91%) or clicking a yes/no box indicating they were of legal drinking age (9%). Only one out of every five alcohol websites blocked futures attempts to gain access after entering a response indicating the user was under the legal drinking age. Users were allowed indefinite attempts to enter a DOB that was of legal drinking age, with the majority of websites subsequently granting access even after multiple underage entries. Conclusions: Alcohol website visitors with minimal arithmetic abilities, such as very young youth, are able to employ 'trial and error' to eventually enter an acceptable legal drinking DOB and gain access. Alcohol brand age gates are weak, at best, and likely an inconsequential barrier that someone with limited math abilities can easily overcome. Abstract : Short Summary: The majority of age gates employed by alcohol websites allow for repeated attempts at entry despite entering underage indications numerous times, allowing visitors with minimalAbstract: Aims: Examine and evaluate the overall effectiveness of age gates preventing access of underage users to alcohol websites. Methods: Assess the characteristics of digital age gates among the top 25 alcohol brands among American adolescents, including type of age gate employed and resulting actions of repeated access requests indicating the user was under the legal drinking age. Results: All official alcohol brand websites examined included an age gate, requiring either entering one's date of birth (DOB, 91%) or clicking a yes/no box indicating they were of legal drinking age (9%). Only one out of every five alcohol websites blocked futures attempts to gain access after entering a response indicating the user was under the legal drinking age. Users were allowed indefinite attempts to enter a DOB that was of legal drinking age, with the majority of websites subsequently granting access even after multiple underage entries. Conclusions: Alcohol website visitors with minimal arithmetic abilities, such as very young youth, are able to employ 'trial and error' to eventually enter an acceptable legal drinking DOB and gain access. Alcohol brand age gates are weak, at best, and likely an inconsequential barrier that someone with limited math abilities can easily overcome. Abstract : Short Summary: The majority of age gates employed by alcohol websites allow for repeated attempts at entry despite entering underage indications numerous times, allowing visitors with minimal arithmetic abilities, such as very young youth, a 'trial and error' approach to gain access. Alcohol brand age gates represent an inconsequential barrier easily overcome. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Alcohol and alcoholism. Volume 56:Number 1(2021)
- Journal:
- Alcohol and alcoholism
- Issue:
- Volume 56:Number 1(2021)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 56, Issue 1 (2021)
- Year:
- 2021
- Volume:
- 56
- Issue:
- 1
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2021-0056-0001-0000
- Page Start:
- 82
- Page End:
- 88
- Publication Date:
- 2020-10-24
- Subjects:
- Alcoholism -- Periodicals
616.861005 - Journal URLs:
- http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/ ↗
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/ ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1093/alcalc/agaa090 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0735-0414
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 0786.754800
British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 17320.xml