Teens three times more likely to start with alcohol than no/low alternatives – study finds

• Alcohol the default for teens and no/low alternatives uncommon, UK-first study finds
• No evidence that no/lows are having a helpful or harmful impact on young people’s alcohol consumption
• Research prompts call for review and updates to existing guidelines for alcohol and no/low alternatives among young people

The study, funded by Alcohol Change UK, is the first in the UK to explore the role of no- and low-alcohol drinks (no/lows) – such as alcohol-free or low-alcohol spirits, beers and wines – in young people’s lives. It comes as sales of no/low drinks have more than doubled since 2020, soaring to £362 million in 2023.

Using new and existing survey data from 5890 adults and 3652 young people aged 16-25, the project explored adults’ attitudes toward adolescent consumption of no/lows, alongside young people’s patterns, motivations, and experiences of consuming alcohol and no/low drinks. Researchers also explored the topic with families through a series of interviews with primary carers and young people – both on a one-to-one basis and together.

Key findings

1. Views on no/low acceptability are mixed - more than a third of adults surveyed in Great Britain view use of no/lows among 13-17-year-olds as broadly acceptable - at 46% for zero-alcohol drinks and 31% for low alcohol drinks up to 1.2% ABV - and even more acceptable in family settings at 64% and 56% respectively.
   
2. No/low drinks are seen as ‘for adults’ - young people and parents/carers largely view no/low products as for adults choosing not to drink and less relevant to adolescents. Even in family settings, where no/low drinks were seen as more acceptable, their use is uncommon.
   
3. Teens opt for alcohol or soft drinks over no/lows - among young people, no/lows are seen as a poor substitute, as a primary purpose of drinking alcohol is at least mild intoxication. Even in family settings, most adolescents would prefer to drink either a standard alcoholic drink, or a traditional soft drink – suggesting limited appeal of no/low alternatives.
   
4. No evidence of a ‘gateway’ effect - while concerns have been raised that no/lows may lead to a ‘gateway’ effect, whereby drinking no/lows reduced the age at which young people first consumed alcohol or impacted how much alcohol they drank, this study found no evidence of this in the context of Great Britain.
   
5. Parental roles reflect alcohol’s normalisation – in many family settings, alcohol is already an established cultural default. While adolescent no/low use was seen as broadly acceptable, most primary carers interviewed thought it was acceptable for young people to drink some alcohol within the family home, with some believing it is their responsibility to introduce their adolescent children to alcohol. This is despite strong evidence that an alcohol-free childhood is the safest option.

Dr Laura Fenton, Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield and project co-lead, said: “It was clear from the interviews we conducted with parents and their adolescent children that no/low drinks were seen as drinks for adults who are avoiding alcohol. While most parents did not have an issue with their child trying no/low drinks, they thought they were unlikely to choose them over either alcoholic or soft drinks. Most of the adolescents we spoke to who drink alcohol believed they would be unlikely to choose no/low drinks over alcoholic drinks when they were socialising with friends.”

Dr Melissa Oldham, Principal Research Fellow at University College London and co-lead of the project said: “The impact of no/low drinks on public health, if there is any impact at all, depends on whether they reduce or increase alcohol consumption across the population. It is unclear whether no/lows will have positive, negative, or no impact on young people's alcohol consumption. Some public health researchers and parents worry that no/low drinks might introduce children and young people to the taste, rituals and branding associated with alcohol at younger ages, which could be a gateway to increased alcohol consumption in the longer term.

“Our findings show no clear evidence that drinking no/low drinks is associated with adolescents starting to drink earlier or drinking more in the longer term. However, there is also no evidence they are having a positive impact on delaying age of initiation of alcohol or reducing alcohol consumed among young people either. Currently no/low use among young people is pretty uncommon and most young people have an alcoholic drink before a no/low drink. It will be important to continue monitoring this as the no/low market continues to grow and expand.”

Ailar Hashemzadeh, Director of Research and Public Affairs at Alcohol Change UK, added: “From a child’s early years to their journey into adulthood, parents and primary carers are faced with many different options, advice and decisions, including alcohol.

“What comes through in this study is that many parents and carers still feel a sense of inevitability about alcohol and are actively weighing up if, when and how to introduce it safely to their young people.

“Current guidance, last updated in 2009, advises that an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option, while also offering some practical advice to parents on the age, environment, frequency and quantities for young people consuming alcohol.

“While this study shows no/low alcohol drinks might not yet factor too much into the equation for young people or their parents, we expect the growth in this market to continue. That’s why it’s important that existing advice is reviewed and updated to include these drinks, as well as any other emerging products.”

Researchers say the findings highlight a need to review and update existing information and advice for parents and carers about alcohol to include no/low drinks, while continuing to monitor trends and impacts of no/lows on adolescents and young people.

The Chief Medical Officer’s guidance on alcohol consumption for children and young people was last updated in 2009 and should now be reviewed and updated to:

• Reflect the current landscape, including no- and low-alcohol drinks and emerging products such as alcoholic energy drinks
• Be more clearly and effectively communicated to parents and young people
• Be supported through improved labelling – something that the Department for Health and Social Care is already developing - and public information

Read the full report ‘Young people's consumption of alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks in family settings’.

Media contacts

For interviews, questions and case studies, please contact Sophie Drake, Media Manager at Alcohol Change UK on 07432 460 201 / [email protected].