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Highlights from the youth debate

Watch young people sharing their views and discussing issues around alcohol.

What attracts young people to alcohol?

The roundtable participants discuss the different things that attract them to drinking alcohol such as boredom, curiosity and wanting to feel older.

What’s the average age that people have their first drink and do you think this has changed over the last 10 – 20 years?

The participants talk about their first experiences with alcohol and what encouraged them to try it, and why their parents were more likely to be a couple of years older when they first experimented.

What do young people think about the alcohol guidance that medical experts and the Government put out for under 18s?

The participants talk about whether certain alternatives to the current laws and advice around alcohol and young people would be more effective in addressing the issues.

Do young people think that the media portrays them fairly when it comes to alcohol?

The participants are divided on whether the media misrepresents the issue. They also discuss whether the coverage encourages young people to drink alcohol.

Do young people think that celebrities and soaps have an impact on people's drinking?

The participants discuss whether celebrities glamorise alcohol and make it more appealing to young people who want to be like them.

Young people's experiences of learning about alcohol at school and from their parents

The participants share their experiences of the alcohol education they received at school and give their views on what might be the most effective ways to educate young people about alcohol.

Page last updated by: Unknown, 10 May 2012.

Page checked on: 24 Oct 2009