Should you give your teenager alcohol at Christmas?

The short answer is no, according to experts who point out that starting earlier increases the odds of heavier drinking 

Adolescent drinking is associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, risky sexual behaviour, accidents and injuries. Picture: iStock

Should you give your 15- or 16-year-old an alcoholic drink with their Christmas dinner? After all, many parents do.

“There’s quite a high level of parental alcohol supply in Ireland,” says Emmet Major, co-ordinator with the Planet Youth Project (planetyouth.ie), which every two years surveys approximately 5,000 15- to 16-year-olds in the Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon region. In November 2024, the survey found that 31% reported being drunk in the previous month.