Parents warned on buying children alcohol

Over a third of parents (36%) would give their children alcohol rather than leaving them to get it from an unknown source, new research has revealed.

A Drinkaware study of 1,000 parents revealed that one in five (22%) admitted they bought booze for their kids to keep tabs on their alcohol consumption.

A total of 13% said they had bought alcohol for their son or daughter to take away on a camping trip of festival to help them celebrate the end of exams with over half (53%) buying them five or more bottles of spirits.

The Drinkaware study comes as holiday hotspots, such as Newquay in Cornwall, prepare for an influx of 16-17 year-olds celebrating the end of year exams. Last year, two teenagers died while on holiday in Newquay after falling from cliffs and police have promised a "ring of steel" this year with checks for alcohol and drugs on under-18s arriving by train and plane.

According to their parents, 79% of young people have been sick after drinking alcohol, 20% have been involved in an accident, 9% have been injured, 21% have had unprotected sex and 6% have been in a fight.

To help young people to make informed decisions about alcohol, Drinkaware is launching its "Got Your Back" campaign in Newquay. All through July teenagers will be able to enjoy fun alcohol-free activities in a local cafe, while picking up tips which will help them stay safe.

"The truth is that when alcohol is put in inexperienced hands, it can make young people vulnerable to some difficult or dangerous situations," said Drinkaware.

"You may trust your teenagers to drink a small amount of alcohol around the house when supervised, but sending them off with their own supply can be very different. Even if you trust your teenagers to drink sensibly, that's no guarantee that others won't act irresponsibly around them, which could get them into trouble."