Many Americans fell victim to an Internet hoax recently which claimed that the minimum legal drinking age across the country would soon be increased to 24.
The article was published by SUNDAY TIMES DAILY, and reported that as of August this year, the legal age to drink across the country will increase to 25 instead of the current 21. Many Americans stumbled across the piece of news which went viral across social media networks, including Facebook.
However, this was a hoax, and the Sunday Times Daily is a mock news website that is populated with content provided by users. This news excerpt, which is badly written and is riddled with typos, was submitted by a user of the website as a hoax. Regardless of the poorly written report, more than as many as six million Americans are believed to have visited the website and read the news excerpt.
The legal age for consuming or possessing alcohol in the United States continues to remain 21, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. There have been recommendations to change the minimum legal age, but the proposals do not include increasing the age, but lowering it.
Some years ago, many college deans across the country had written an open letter in which they called for a lowering of the legal drinking age to 18 from 21. According to their argument, college-age drinkers below the age of 21 go out and drink anyway, regardless of the fact that it is illegal for people of their age do so. The deans believe that making alcohol consumption legal for 18-year-olds reduces the risk that they will drink alcohol on the side, and engage in destructive behaviors like DUI.
