Drinking Age to 25 Hoax Fools 9 Million Readers: Minimum for Alcohol Remains 21
A drinking age 25 hoax is being spread over social media and has tricked many into believing the U.S. drinking age will be raised sometime in August. However, the bogus news report was exposed as nothing more than a hoax.
The drinking age being raised to 25 hoax was started by a website called Nipsy News. They claimed that the drinking age would be federally mandated to 25 in a news report that went viral across social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram.
"As of August 2, 2014 legal age to drink will be 25. There has been controversy whether 21 is too young to make decisions. Alot of citizens state at that age they are not mentally responsible to drink. So the legislation at the White House has come to an agreement to have legal age changed to 25," the summary reads.
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Though some more savvy social media users would have been suspicious, the ABC News logo helped to propagate the hoax to over 9 million people, according to Nipsey News. The site allows users to make up their own news, and the drinking age hoax is currently their most popular story.
"Don't worry, you are not the only one. [9 million] people already fell for this," the story reads when you click the link. "If you liked the joke, you can share it and trick your friends. Also you can create a joke of your own clicking the button below!"
The explanation is accompanied by a GIF of Leonardo DiCaprio's Jay Gatsby raising a glass in toast to those fooled by the hoax.
Despite the relative ease with which the report could have been debunked, many still fell for the fake news report.
"Legal drinking age 25 soon, so that's move up the time you got to move out ya parents house by society's terms now. Technically I'm on pace," one Twitter user warned.
"My sister said she read an article where the drinking age was being changed to 25 this month. Bout died brb," another social media user complained.
If the minimum drinking age were actually set to 25, that would be the highest in the world— the highest current minimum drinking age is 21, which several mostly Muslim countries like Kazakhstan and Pakistan ban alcohol altogether. Also, there is no federally mandated drinking age, as every U.S. state is essentially free to set their own.
