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Its been revealed that underage drinking has reached shocking new heights - find out more here
The amount of alcohol consumed by girls aged between 11-13 has increased by 82.6% between 2000-2006, while for boys the number has gone up by 43.4% during the same period.
These startling findings, which are just one of a series of worrying developments are published
in a new report from Alcohol Concern entitled Glass Half Empty?
The report offers a wide-ranging assessment of the impact of the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.
Srabani Sen, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, says:"Binge drinking by children can have serious consequences for brain function, significantly raises the risk of alcohol dependency in later life and diminishes their life chances.
"Our report shows that we are simply not doing enough to protect our children from alcohol."
Alcohol Concern recommends limiting the access children and teenagers have to alcohol and challenging more aggressively the drivers of underage consumption:
- Make it illegal to provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 15 - Currently it is legal to provide children as young as five with alcohol in a private home.
- Enforce the law around underage purchase - Data from the most recent Home Office AMEC (test purchasing) campaign showed that 29% of underage participants were able to buy alcohol in pubs and bars, while 21% did so successfully in off-licenses.
- End advertising of alcohol on TV before the watershed and in cinemas when films with ratings below 18 are shown.
- Make alcohol education part of the National Curriculum - Inappropriate use of alcohol by young people has been shown to have an impact on school performance. Alcohol is a factor in many school exclusions and suspensions.
