Over 40% of parents believe that a serving of alcohol is acceptable for children aged 16-17.

Some parents believe that by allowing their older children to consume alcohol in controlled environments, such as at home or in the company of adults, they are "protecting" them from potential future problems related to strong drinks.

However, a significant number of longitudinal group studies, as well as systematic reviews on the topic, have convincingly shown that such parental tactics correlate with earlier exposure of children to alcohol and the subsequent development of risky drinking behaviors. Scientific literature provides examples indicating that even when parents allowed their children to "just take a sip," it was sufficient to increase the risk of binge drinking and other associated negative consequences.

Psychologists and specialists in alcohol dependency prevention from Australia recently investigated attitudes toward this practice and its prevalence among parents in their country. An article about the study was published in the journal Health Promotion International.

It is worth noting that in Australia, the minimum legal drinking age is 18 years. Russia has a similar age limit: the law prohibits the sale of alcohol to minors, meaning individuals under 18 years old. The State Duma is currently discussing the possibility of raising this limit to 21 years.

The survey was conducted online. Participants included 1,197 Australian parents or guardians of children aged 12-17 who live with them at least part of the time. They were recruited through the platform Pureprofile, which specializes in organizing such studies. After gathering socio-demographic information from the volunteers, they were asked at what age they believe it is acceptable to consume a full serving of alcohol — a glass of beer or wine, a mixed drink, or a shot of strong liquor.

Respondents were also asked how often they give their children alcohol at home during dinner or in other circumstances and whether they consider this practice common among their acquaintances and parents in general. Other questions pertained to adults' attitudes toward alcohol consumption by teenagers, their own alcohol consumption, the predominant parenting style they employ, and several other aspects.

Analysis of the responses revealed that 31.2% of parents deemed 16-17 years an acceptable age for consuming a full serving of alcohol, while another 11.5% indicated a threshold of under 16 years. Nearly 23% of respondents admitted to having given a full serving of alcohol to underage children, including 10.8% who reported providing alcohol for unsupervised parties. At the same time, 45% considered this practice common among other parents.

Researchers also identified several other trends previously mentioned in the scientific literature. For instance, higher family income levels correlated with a more tolerant attitude toward alcohol consumption at ages 16-17. Parents with a permissive parenting style and those who drink themselves were more likely to allow underage children to consume full servings of alcohol.

The scientists stated that the survey results would be useful for developing measures to prevent the youth from being introduced to alcohol.