Young people and alcohol

The National Health and Medical Research Council issued guidelines in 2009 about the health risks of drinking alcohol. Children under 15 years are at the greatest risk of harm from drinking and for this age group, not drinking alcohol is especially important. The guidelines recommend that children between 15 to 17 years of age should delay having any alcohol for as long as possible.

You should not purchase, provide or allow alcohol to be consumed by under 18's in your home. You must not serve alcohol to children in your care.

It is possible a child may attempt to access alcohol elsewhere. They are likely to come in contact with alcohol outside of your home. It’s important to be aware of this and talk to your care team about how to manage this.

Role model healthy alcohol consumption with children. Never get drunk in the presence of children or when you have primary responsibility for the care of children.