In response to the ‘Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England 2023’ report, published on 17 October 2024, Kate Winstanley, Director of CAP comments:

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“This report once again highlights important issues around vaping, drinking and drug use, amongst children and young people.

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We are pleased to see that the numbers of young people who said that they had drunk alcohol in the past week has dropped once again from 9% in 2021 to 7% in 2023. We also welcome the fact that 68% of 11-15 year olds in England said they did not drink alcohol, compared to 62% in 2016 and 43% in 1988.  

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The percentage of 11-15 year olds in England who said that they had ever had an alcoholic drink has fallen to 37%, compared to 44% in 2016 and 62% in 1988 which is also good news.

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However, a significant percentage (61%) of 11-15 year olds who have drunk alcohol in the past four weeks say that they obtained alcohol from their parents. While this number has dropped from 75% in 2021 it is still worryingly high. The report also shows that 37% of those who had drunk in the past four weeks obtained it ‘in the home’.  

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We know that many parents believe that if they are too strict about drinking alcohol their children will rebel and drink to excess. This is not true. Teenagers who consider their parents to be permissive are much more likely to binge drink. When parents don’t allow their children (aged 11-15) to drink, 89% choose not to drink.

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Given the very high numbers of parents supplying alcohol to their children – more than six in 10 children who drink are getting alcohol from their parents – we are calling for greater efforts to educate parents on the risks of drinking for children. CAP will be piloting a campaign in 2025 designed to educate parents of the risks of underage drinking and persuade them not to give their children alcohol.

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Our mission at CAP is to ensure that all young people have an alcohol-free childhood and thanks to our local partners we will continue to address underage drinking and promote healthy, alcohol-free lifestyles for children.”

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For media information, please contact: Samantha Patel, Communications Manager sam@communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk

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