Parents urged not to give kids booze

LANCASHIRE

County Council has launched a campaign to reduce the number of parents who choose to give booze to their children.

It coincides with national Alcohol Awareness Week.

The six-week campaign, called ‘Where’s the Harm’ is being run by the authority’s trading standards team.

It aims to reduce the number of adults that buy alcohol for children.

Social media posts will target parents of under 18s, giving them the facts about alcohol and its effects on health.

Messages will encourage adults to discuss alcohol and the risks of underage drinking.

This campaign will also highlight the importance of not giving alcohol to children at home or buying it for them.

It the findings from the trading standards bi-annual young person’s survey which identified that parental supply was the most common way that under 18s obtain alcohol, 78 per cent of 14 to 17-year-olds said they were supplied alcohol by their parents, and 65 per cent of young people drink at home when their parents are supervising.

Cllr Peter Buckley, the county council’s cabinet member for community services, said: “We’ve decided to run this campaign in Alcohol Awareness Week following the recent survey results, which highlight an issue with adults giving alcohol to children at home and buying alcohol for them.

“Our research shows us that we need to target parents and adults so they can reinforce the important messages about the health risks of alcohol and not buy it or give it to children.”