A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics says it’s important for parents to talk to kids about drinking before they turn 10.
“Surveys indicate that children start to think positively about alcohol between ages 9 and 13 years. The more young people are exposed to alcohol advertising and marketing, the more likely they are to drink, and if they are already drinking, this exposure leads them to drink more,” Dr. Lorena Siqueira, a Miami pediatrician, and colleagues write in the journal, “Pediatrics.” “Therefore, it is very important to start talking to children about the dangers of drinking as early as nine years of age.”
Still think ten is too young? Well, according to the report, 21-percent of youth say they’ve had their first taste of alcohol before they turned 13, and 79-percent have tasted booze by the 12th grade. And for kids who do drink, about 50-percent of 12 to 14-year-olds say they drink heavily, while 72-percent of 18 to 20-year-olds say the same.
And if parents think all that talking really isn’t going to stop their kids from drinking, they’re actually wrong. Doctors report that 80-percent of teenagers say their parents are the biggest influences when it comes to deciding whether to drink or not.
Source: NBC News
