Parents give kids booze for finishing exams

Almost one in four parents (23%) will reward their children with alcohol to celebrate finishing their exams, a new Drinkaware survey has shown.

The results revealed that on average, children aged between 14 and 17-years-old will receive nine units of alcohol to take to post-exam parties, holidays or festivals, equating to a third of a bottle of vodka, four cans of beer or a bottle of wine.

Away from exam periods, 54% of parents admitted giving their children an alcoholic drink, and 86% said they had given their children alcohol when they had asked for it.

“The average amount some parents are providing is equivalent to a whole bottle of wine, and that is more than enough to get a 15-year-old drunk,” warned Elaine Hindal, chief executive of Drinkaware.

“No parent wants to think of their child out on their own being drunk and vulnerable, but effectively that is what we would be facilitating by giving alcohol as a reward.”

Drinkaware is urging parents not to give children alcohol to celebrate finishing their exams, due to the harm it can cause to their developing adolescent bodies.

The survey also revealed that while most parents correctly identified the minimum legal age for buying alcohol as 18, 20% said they had no understanding, or were not aware, of any medical guidance at all, which shows alcohol can have a “detrimental effect on children’s health and personal safety”.

“It is illegal for parents to purchase alcohol on behalf of someone under 18,” said Hindal. “Worse still, it normalises a culture of excessive drinking among young people.

“We want to reassure parents that not all young people drink alcohol, and that it is important to support children to celebrate without if, whether they are going on holiday for the first time with their friends or attending a school prom party.”