Why has Danielle Walsh's TikTok video been banned?

Watchdog has banned a TikTok video posted by influencer Danielle Walsh for drinking four cocktails in under 90 seconds.

A complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) was made against Walsh, calling the content irresponsible as it showed excessive alcohol consumption.

The ASA also said it wasn't clear whether the clip was an advert as it featured several hashtags including #forprestonight, #vk and #letsgetlit.

They said that Walsh should ensure all future videos do not encourage excessive drinking.

The clip, posted in October 2023, showed Walsh standing behind a bar with a row of glasses.

"So for pres [sic] tonight, let me show you what we're drinking. We're going to do four in one, because we're getting lit tonight," she told viewers, before free-pouring different flavours of VK alcopops into glasses and adding spirits such as vodka, peach schnapps, Amaretto and a whiskey liqueur.

The ruling stated: "The ASA understood that 'pres' was a reference to 'pre-drinking' or 'pre-drinks', the practice of consuming alcohol at home before going out to a pub, bar or club, where further alcohol would be consumed.

"We understood that pre-drinking was often intended to achieve intoxication prior to attending a licensed venue and, as such, we considered that referencing 'pres' in the ad implied that alcohol was going to be consumed in excessive amounts.

"We understood that the word 'lit' had a long history of being used as a slang term for being drunk," they continued.

"We considered that consumers would likely associate the phrase 'we're getting lit tonight' to relate to the excessive consumption of alcohol and becoming intoxicated. We also considered that the comment 'We're going to do four in one' stated Ms Walsh's intention to drink four cocktails in one video, which further implied the excessive consumption of alcohol.

"[Ms Walsh] did not measure any of the ingredients in the drinks; free pouring the alcohol throughout. We noted that the volume of 'mixer' in each cocktail was minimal. Furthermore, Ms Walsh quickly drank each cocktail after making it, consuming all four drinks in under 90 seconds, which demonstrated that excessive amounts of alcohol had been consumed over a short space of time.

"Because the ad encouraged excessive drinking and depicted alcohol being handled and served irresponsibly we concluded that it was irresponsible, and therefore breached the Code."

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