Underage drinking: worldwide student takes

Underage drinking rules are different for every country. Whether by government issued regulation or social norms, the lines marking similarities and differences between countries are hazy. Practically every religion and culture has views on alcohol and its role in society - if it's moral, when it should be drunk, and the reasons for its consumption. I wanted to investigate how different parts of the world view underage drinking and its role in society. 

For the debut piece of the Editorial Delegation, I gathered teenagers from a diverse selection of countries to share their personal observations and nation’s perspectives. 

Isïa Patie - Delegate of France

In the annual basque festival, adolescents as young as twelve attend the festivities wearing a white outfit with a red foulard. Although celebrating basque music remains important, once the sun sets, their attention pivots to how drunk they will get.

Whether it is within festivals, house parties, bars, or clubs, underage French teenagers have easy access to alcohol. Indeed, at 17 years old, 85.7% of French teenagers have consumed alcohol, favoring the practice of binge drinking. Despite the association of wine with France, teens prefer beer (8.1 cups per month) and spirits (7.4 cups per month) over wine (2.5 cups per month).

French law prohibits minors from purchasing alcoholic beverages, yet allows them to consume them in bars when they are 16 as long as an adult buys the alcohol. Nevertheless, alcohol sales are not as regulated as in the United States. 52.7% of teenagers having purchased alcohol claim that they were not asked for an identity card in bars, restaurants, or clubs.

Alcohol consumption varies based on socio-economic factors and geographical location. In rural areas, where fewer activities are available and limited alcohol prevention is provided, underage drinking offers an activity and a place of reunion. Teenagers obtain cheaper alcohol from their parents or low-cost stores that do not strictly enforce the law. They drink in public spaces, abandoned areas, soccer fields, or designated party spaces.

In village festivals, an intergenerational crowd gathers and allows rural teenagers to access alcohol. The younger population replicates the behavior of their elders, who promote the normalization of drinking. Unlike cities, rural areas are less frequented by law enforcement, allowing teenagers, sellers, and families to avoid fines and punitive measures.

In urban areas, teenagers have broader access to bars, clubs, and concert venues in which they drink. Cities also have better public transportation infrastructures, diminishing the risk of drunk driving. Being a place of cultural and economic activity, cities tend to offer more for teenagers to do besides drinking. However, urban teenagers still resort to alcohol to pursue adventure and amusement.

In some richer urban areas, teenagers gather at “rallies,” socially-exclusive parties where alcohol meets social class. Meanwhile, low-income and immigrant communities, who disproportionately live in social housing in suburban areas called “cités,” consume alcohol within their own bubble.

Although French teenagers tend to remain in social class circles, they all are exposed to similar alcohol advertisements. The 1991 EVIN Law supposedly protects minors from marketing that encourages underage drinking. However, this law fails to address advertisements in public spaces, in the press, and on broadcast stations. The emergence of social media has become a platform where alcohol companies can discreetly advertise their beverages.

Alcohol consumption among underage individuals remains a complex issue tied to a culture of drinking, lack of prevention, and support for those who fall down the path of alcoholism.

Maggie Alfaro-McLaughlin - Delegate of South Africa

I am now 17 years old, and for most of my life, I lived in San Francisco, California, where the drinking age is 21. However, after a year of living in Cape Town, South Africa, where the drinking age is 18, I can confidently say there is a significant cultural difference when it comes to drinking.

In San Francisco, those who can afford it buy fake IDs, ranging between 80-200 dollars, depending on the quality. From there, it’s easy to buy alcohol, especially from no-name liquor stores or small shops in need of income.

Boundaries to buying alcohol leads to stealing alcohol being more common. If that isn't the case then other alternatives become options, such as MDMA, LSD, Xanax, and more. With the recent uptick of drugs laced with fentanyl, it is not uncommon to have known of people who have died by simply smoking a joint, normally considered “not that bad.” 

I will say in my particular case, ironically, people are more comfortable with me going out in Cape Town, even though crime and other possibilities make it more dangerous, versus in San Francisco – simply because the appeal for these hard drugs is a lot less in Cape Town since drinking is accessible.

Within my circle, in Cape Town, it is common practice to photoshop pictures of passports to clubs and get drinks. In general, the rule is a lot more lenient. Most parents know and accept that their child is drinking. A cultural difference in the sense that it’s more accepted. In San Francisco, however, parents would rather be clueless. This leads to kids being more secretive and sneaky, which is never a good thing.

In Cape Town, I think it is more lenient because there is also more of a need for money. As a teenager, it’s easy to go to a Rugby game and not be asked for ID. The same goes for restaurants. Businesses would rather be oblivious and get their money than ask.

But it begs the question, is it morally or ethically wrong? To businesses, they are simply responding to a question of supply and demand. They're just trying to get income in a difficult economy.

Although scientists suggest that substances should never be used, especially before the age of 25, teenagers are in a stage of their lives where they are experimental. It would be almost impossible to stop them from trying any substance at all.

This debate could last forever. There is no clear-cut answer, other than that  parents and their children should do their best to be honest with each other. Unfortunately, it is easy to end up in fatal situations, and I don’t think any parent would want that.

Tamar Swersky - Delegate of Israel 

In Israel, underage drinking is not illegal and is pretty common. The only rules about drinking and purchasing alcohol are that people under 18 aren't allowed to buy and be served alcohol and you can't drink in public during certain hours (9 pm- 6 am). The second rule applies to citizens of all ages. So, it's legal for teens to drink alcohol as long as it's indoors and someone over 18 bought the alcohol. 

Most older citizens think that teenagers that drink are a bad influence on their children and that their performance at school is poor and problematic. Personally I do not drink; however, I have friends that drink and I have been to outings where everybody but me were drinking alcohol. 

A lot of the teens that drink do it because they feel pressure from friends. Drinking is mostly done at parties and outings. It is a known fact that if you go to a party, almost everyone will be drinking, and that makes people that don't normally drink feel pressured to drink so that they'll look cool or be accepted in front of their friends. A lot of the time, parents aren't aware of the fact that their kids are drinking. 

I think the rules in Israel about drinking are appropriate and  I genuinely believe that they are made to protect us teenagers.

Alexander Zhou - Delegate of Hong Kong

In Chinese-speaking regions, the importance of alcohol extends beyond leisure and indulgence. Back in the times of the Warring States, warriors drank baijiu, or white rice wine, in front of family shrines to signify the establishment of brotherhoods. Today, alcohol continues to serve as an important cultural symbol for many families, while carrying the rebellious kinetic of the younger generation. 

In the modern metropolis that is Hong Kong, sights of Western bars and wine bars can be seen at the heart of the city: Young people of all nationalities rejoicing under the neon lights, forming a stark yet harmonic contrast with the neo-classical architecture that remind people of its colonialist past. From the Chinese baijiu and huangjiu to wines and champagnes, the prosperity of alcohol culture in Hong Kong reflects how this city reconciles and thrives upon its tumultuous history, and how the old and the new, the east and the west, can come together in melody, providing a space for people to distress in this fast-paced society. 

Across the Pearl River, mainland Chinese cities display a much more opaque and, perhaps, conflicting attitude towards alcohol. Hengshan Road, a Shanghainese street famous for its pubs and vibrant nightlife, was halted abruptly in the 2010s due to the government’s distaste for what it called an “unruly and promiscuous” lifestyle, fearing that the colors of the street would spread to the larger society. 

Yet, behind closed doors and small alleyways lay the bars that stuck like weeds, smaller in size and less diligent about safety. Ladies would approach people discreetly on the streets, leading them to the escape from the stringently-planned reality. The only times the public would recollect the mere existence of those bars was when a fire broke out or when the police sirens rang. 

What seems to be an iron-clad crackdown on any liberal lifestyle seems ironic and insincere when any youngster can walk into a convenience store and purchase alcohol to their desire. It is never legal for adolescents to purchase alcohol; it’s simply that neither the buyer nor the seller would like to enforce the characters in the law books. For many Chinese, alcohol has transformed from a symbol of familial traditions to one of secret disobedience and a bolt for temporary freedom.

Anonymous - Delegate of the United States

I challenge you to name an American high school movie with no mention of underage drinking. If you cannot, it’s no surprise. Whether partaking in it or not, any American teenager will affirm that underage alcohol consumption is a vital feature of youth life. 

Despite the American legal drinking age being 21 years old, the American National Institute on Alcohol and Abuse finds that 34.4% of Americans between the ages of 15 and 20 have had at least one drink in their life. Still, a survey of the average American public school would likely find this statistic doubled.

In the states, teenage alcohol consumption is generally a social fleet, and becomes more common as age groups approach the legal drinking age. Acquiring a fake ID is not very difficult for most American teens, however this resource is usually not utilized until university, or at least until after high school. So, most high schoolers obtain alcohol through stealing it from their parents or buying it from older friends, siblings, or coworkers. And, of course, every town has one or two convenience stores that don’t ask for an ID.

The tradition of American underage drinking has many cultural roots. In one sense, the prevalence of recreational drinking amongst adults means that many Americans are raised heavily exposed to the presence of alcohol. So, upon reaching the common teenage rebellious years, Americans are not scared of a beverage they’ve been around their whole life. Another factor to consider is that teenage rebellious phase itself; while some communities in the United States are strict with their children (to say the least), American society as a whole is much more accepting of youth mischief than most other cultures. Ubiquitous mantras like “boys will be boys” and “you only live once” even encourage adolescents to spend at least part of their early years having fun, taking risks, and trying new things.

A strong, healthy, nurturing youth does not require underage drinking, but the two are not mutually exclusive. So part of why the age-old practice is so pervasive in American youth is that most adults understand this. All of our parents were teenagers once, and their precious memories of juvenile thrill and giggly intrigue lend them some leniency when they notice a few White Claws missing from the fridge. 

Organized by Clara Milosevic