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CHILDREN as young as 12 are getting "legless", and parents - not the liquor industry - are to blame, a New South Wales Government review has found.
Despite finding that there had not been a major increase in youth drinking, the new report said parents needed to be better educated on how to handle their teens' drinking.
The report, Review of Alcoholic Beverages that May Target Young People, was released today by Gaming and Racing Minister Grant McBride.
"A third of young people have said that the product they've received - that's underage drinkers - was supplied to them by their parents," Mr McBride said.
The review canvassed a cross-section of the community, including industry and parent groups, as well as surveying focus groups of secondary students across NSW.
The consensus of people surveyed was that liquor retailers were targeting young females with premixed drinks through their packaging and the colour of the drinks themselves, review chair Faye Lo Po said.
The shift in alcoholic-buying trends, away from beer and wine and into spirits, suggested these drinks were gaining popularity, Mr McBride said.
"I do believe (retailers) are targeting the next generation of drinkers," Mr McBride said.
According to the report, anecdotal evidence suggested "some people are having difficulty differentiating between soft drinks and alcoholic beverages".
But banning premixed "chick drinks" was not the answer, Ms Lo Po said.
"The kids said, well, if you do that we'll make our own, and that stopped me dead in my tracks. I think this is a safer option," she said.
Ms Lo Po said children as young as 12 told the committee they regularly got "legless" on premixed spirits such as Vodka Cruisers because their parents would buy them, believing they had less alcohol content.
"Their knowledge of drinks frightened me, these are kids that shouldn't know anything more than a milkshake and they knew the taste of just about everything," Ms Lo Po said.
"What they said is their parents didn't know that there's as much alcohol in (premixed drinks) as a can of beer so the parents buy them for them thinking it's a less painful option."
Parents needed to lift their game and take more responsibility for their children's drinking habits, she said.
The report recommended a national labelling standard, with alcohol content clearly visible for premixed drinks.
"At the moment on some products I reckon it's about the smallest font available," Mr McBride said.
A national hotline for community members to report suspect alcohol marketing and access information on products was also recommended, he said.
The report also recommended replaceable screw-tops for all premixed drinks to protect against drink-spiking.
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2004-11-07, 11:16 AM
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