Background European citizens are the largest alcohol users in the world with an average of 11 l of alcohol per individual per year being used. This consumption practice usually begins during adolescence. Youths’ views of substances consumption are built upon socialization experiments from which television takes part. To prevent vulnerable people from media influence, some governments tend to adopt restrictive laws against alcohol marketing within the public space including TV programmes; others rely on the self-control of the alcohol and/or media industry. More than 22 years ago, France adopted a restrictive law made of measures aiming to regulate or prohibit advertising of alcoholic products, especially within media dedicated to minors. Methods This study relies on a content analysis to identify the patterns and the frequencies of occurrences linked to alcohol within a sample of 14 TV series (8 French series and 6 American series) most watched by French teenagers. In total, 180 episodes have been analysed representing 111 h 24 min and 6 s of series coded. Results Alcohol is depicted within 87.8% of the sample. French series statistically show more events related to alcohol when compared to the American series. In French series, alcohol, mainly wine, is associated with a familiar lifestyle context with primary characters. Conclusion The restrictive law ongoing in France does not prevent popular TV programmes watched by minors to depict alcohol. Concerns should be raised about the impact of the values given to the substance integrated to main characters life within the media.

Social networking sites (SNSs) are invested in heavily by marketers aiming to reach a growing number of consumers. Concerns regarding the influence of posts displayed on SNSs in relation to behaviour were raised, in particular the promotion of ill-health behaviour directed to adolescents who may be at risk from suggestible practices. Although adolescents tend to be critical towards traditional forms of advertising, little is known about their perception of influencing strategies developed online, especially where sponsor- and user-generated content coexist. This exploratory study aims to gather information directly from adolescents about their use of SNSs their awareness of the influence that SNS content may have, particularly when it comes to tobacco and alcohol messages. Ten focus groups were conducted with 39 adolescents (11–16 years old; 56.4% male). Qualitative analysis documents the differences associated with adolescents’ favourite SNSs. The different parameters linked to each SNS and the expectation to find entertaining content and values associated with friendship may decrease adolescents’ perception of potential risk for health associated with SNS use. Authors advocate for the development of educational programs based on eHealth literacy and the use of social marketing techniques to facilitate and motivate adolescents to develop their competences.

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