Only Half of Parents Know When Their Kids Drink

Only Half of Parents Know When Their Kids Drink

Some 63 percent of adults say they set strict rules about their children drinking but only half of them know when their children drink, according to research released by the Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC).

ALAC Chief Executive, Dr Mike MacAvoy, says parents play a critical role in influencing young people’s drinking habits but BRC Marketing and Social Research’s The Way We Drink: A Profile Of Drinking Culture In New Zealand shows that over half the young people, 12 to 17 years of age, who binge drink socially say it is their parents who gave them the alcohol to drink. Yet a staggering 48 percent of young people reported they are not supervised by an adult when they drink.

“Supervising young people’s drinking is essential as evidence shows that it’s best for young people to start drinking as late in their teenage years as possible and to limit the amount of alcohol they drink.”

Dr MacAvoy says there is a strong perception among young people that their parents are okay with their drinking habits. Eighty percent of all young people, including 80 percent of binge drinkers, said that their parents know they drink and are okay about it. They cite their parents’ supplying them with alcohol as proof of this.

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