The UK Youth Alcohol Action plan was presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for children, Schools and Families, the Secretary of State for The Home Office and the Secretary of State for Department of Health on the 2nd June. This well researched and largely balanced paper identifies and discusses the main issues regarding alcohol use and abuse by those underage in the UK.
The 36 page report recognises that:
‘Whilst some adults and young people do not drink alcohol at all for religious, cultural or other reasons, drinking alcohol is a normal activity for many adults in Britain and young people drink for much the same reasons as everyone else does to have fun, to relax, to socialise and to feel more outgoing’.
The report gives overwhelming evidence that less young people are drinking, although the 20% who are, are drinking 11 units (8g) a week on average. Statistics show:
The proportion of 11 to 15-year-olds who drink regularly has fallen (from 28% in 2001 to 21% in 2006). But those who do drink are drinking more (The average weekly consumption of alcohol for 11 to 15-year-olds increased from 5 units in 1990 and has remained at 9-11 units between 2000- 2007).
11 to 13-year-olds are less likely to have had a drink in the previous week (14% in 2001 down to 9% in 2006) but the 9% are drinking 10 units a week on average.
Between 2001 and 2006, the proportion of 11 to 15-year-olds who say they never drink rose from 38% to 46%.
Fewer young people are exposed to alcohol advertisements on television (a decline of 31.1% and 39.0% in 16 to 24 and 10 to 15-year-olds respectively between 2002-06). Young people are now less likely to describe the adverts as being aimed at them (a decline of 31.1% and 39.0% in 16-24 and 10-15-year-olds respectively between 2002-06), based on research conducted by ASA and Ofcom in November 2007.
Test purchase enforcement campaigns have reduced under age purchase failure rate from around 50% to 20%, with the July 2007 failure falling to 15%
However:
Girls are drinking in excess more than boys - 47% of 15-year-old girls had been drunk at least once in the past month compared with 37% of boys of the same age and 9% of alcohol related hospital admissions are aged 18 and under.
The report states:
‘These issues are not just about young people illegally buying alcohol - though that is an important dimension - but more broadly about access to alcohol and its use by young people. We therefore need to take determined action to tackle their problems, working closely with parents, schools, health services and the police.
First, we need to be clear that unsupervised drinking by young people under 18 in public places - which has the closest links to crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as putting young people at risk in other ways - is unacceptable. This Action Plan sets out how we will work with the police and the courts to stop it.
Second, drinking by young people in the home is clearly the responsibility of parents and families, not the Government. But there are things we want to change. We believe there is a need for clearer health information for parents and young people about how consumption of alcohol - particularly at an early age/- can affect children and young people. That is why we have asked the Chief Medical Officer to produce clear guidelines on the issue. We will also ensure that parents who fail to take their responsibility seriously will be made to do so.
Finally, we need industry to play more of a part, not just in refusing to sell alcohol to young people under the age of 18, but also more generally in marketing and promoting alcohol in a more responsible way. So we will work with the industry to strengthen the standards that currently govern these issues with a view to making them mandatory’.
The report recommends that in addition to the Government’s current approach to young people and alcohol of:
Enforcing prohibition on the purchase of alcohol by under-18s, backed by tough enforcement by taking action against retailers who are selling to under-18s;
Enforcement of laws around adults purchasing on behalf of others who are underage (proxy purchase);
Encouraging police powers of confiscation and dispersal powers to stop children and young people from drinking in public places and implementing Alcohol education in schools as part of wider drugs education beginning in the primary phase;
Liaising with the industry regarding voluntary and mandatory agreements on the marketing and advertising of alcohol, specifically to address its potential appeal to young people;
Introducing a national indicator on reducing young people’s use of alcohol and drugs that will be measured in all local authority areas, followed by a new ten-year Drugs Strategy, published in February 2008.
There will be a new focus on parents as the source of supply –
‘Alcohol consumed by young people is increasingly likely to be obtained from the home. Of the 11- 15-year-olds who drank 14 or more units in the previous week, 48% claim to have been given alcohol directly by their parents whilst 42% claim to have taken it without their parents consent’.
Advisory guidelines will be drawn up for parents
The paper recognises that young people drink before the age of 18, with over 50% of 13-year-olds having experienced an alcohol drink. By age 15 and over 90% will have tried alcohol and 50% are drinking some alcohol weekly. The action plan recognises the role and responsibility of parents in deciding when and how they should allow alcohol to be drunk at home, and states it would not want to interfere in parental rights in the home as regards their own children. The secretaries of state have asked the Chief medical officer to provide comprehensive guidelines for parents to refer to however.
The marginalised targeted
15% of respondents aged 10 - 17 drank once a week or more; yet they were responsible for 34% of all violent offences committed by this age group.
The Government hopes that by introducing a new criminal offence of ‘persistently drinking in public’ to be used if parenting orders and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) fail, this combined with stronger dispersal powers for the police should deal more effectively with trouble makers.
Tackling irresponsible parents
‘Parents of youths caught persistently drinking unsupervised in public places or causing violence and disorder will be subject to parenting orders and could receive a criminal record – as could youths caught ‘persistently while increasing powers to punish parents who act irresponsibly by supplying large amounts of alcohol to their children and friends for consumption in public place’s.
Parenting Contracts should be used more widely with the parents of young people repeatedly caught drinking in public as it is essential that parents take responsibility. The Government will encourage the police and appropriate agencies to make greater use of Parenting Orders for parents whose children persistently drink in public. Specific conditions would need to be met, such as compulsory attendance at parenting classes and/or strict monitoring of their child’s drinking behaviour
Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) will be extended to young people caught drinking in public, in which the young person and their parents agree to attend a session with a trained worker.’
Young people increasingly the focus - as well as suppliers
Retailers have complained that those under the legal drinking age attempting to obtain alcohol repeatedly have faced few prosecutions, whilst premises risk closure or losing their licence. Although the paper recommends reducing the ‘three underage test purchase failures and you lose your licence to two’ - new police powers will target persistent offenders.
Increased police powers
‘We will therefore legislate, subject to the approval of Parliament, to make it an offence for under-18s to persistently possess alcohol in a public place and to ensure the police have the enforcement powers they need to tackle drinking by young people in public places. Prosecution will require evidence of continued confiscation and failure to abide by an ABC.
We will legislate to give police the powers to disperse under-18s who are drinking and behaving anti-socially from any location and not just designated areas’.
Voluntary codes of practice to become mandatory
‘The Government feels strongly that it is right that all licensed premises not only comply with the law, but that they also operate to a set of standards that promote best practice. To this end, we will work with the alcohol industry to strengthen the standards, with a view to making them mandatory’.
Offering bored youth other things to do
‘Evidence shows that participating in high quality, constructive out of school activities has a preventative impact on alcohol use by young people’.
Through its ten year strategy for positive activities, ‘Aiming High for Young People’, the Government is working with local authorities to tackle the root causes of problems which may lead to drinking. The Youth , a pilot of 20 Intensive Intervention Projects, aimed at addressing the needs and wants of 1,000 young people, has been set up as well as Challenge and Support Projects in 52 areas to reach 15,000 families each year’.
The Action plan offers a multi- faceted strategy to reduce underage alcohol use. It is targeted predominantly at irresponsible parents and marginalised youth.
