Rising parental tolerance of underage drinking a mounting concern

Parental tolerance of underage teenage drunkenness has increased significantly in the past four years, according to the latest research by Planet Youth, a wellbeing strategy for young people in the west of Ireland.

Just over half (57 per cent) of almost 4,500 teenagers in their post-Junior Cert year reported that their parents would be “against it or totally against it” if they got drunk. Whereas four years previously, 72 per cent of teenagers surveyed at the same stage of their education said their parents would disapprove of them being drunk.

Substance abuse

In-depth, lifestyle surveying of 15- and 16-year-olds in all 91 post-secondary schools across three counties shows those who reported parental tolerance of drunkenness were three times more likely to have been drunk in the previous three months. One in five of all pupils surveyed said they regularly get alcohol from their parents, while 30 per cent reported having been drunk in the last 30 days.

Planet Youth co-ordinator Emmet Major told The Irish Times this upward trend of parental tolerance of underage drinking is a concern they will be addressing, to try to make it a problem ‘parents are willing to fight”.

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Parental opposition to teenagers using cannabis, cigarettes and vaping was reported as much higher and has hardly changed over four years. Yet vaping rates have increased 250 per cent since Planet Youth last conducted a similar survey in 2020. Then just 4.2 per cent of pupils said they vaped daily and this rose to 14.7 per cent in the survey conducted last November. However, the rates of smoking and cannabis use were both down.

Planet Youth, which is implementing a community-wide collaborative approach known as the Icelandic Prevention Model for improving health outcomes for young people throughout Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, runs extensive surveys every two years. The results of the 2018, 2020 and now 2022 surveys track trends and are used to guide more effective interventions for increased teenage wellbeing.

Mental health

A third of the teenagers say they have self-harmed at least once, while almost half (46 per cent) thought they could do with help for mental health issues, according to the reports being launched on Monday in Claregalway, Co Galway, by Ministers of State Hildegarde Naughton and Ann Rabbitte.

Some 58 per cent of the pupils spend at least three hours daily on social media, 83 per cent have a phone in their bedroom at night and 56 per cent don’t get enough sleep. Exactly half exercise three times a week or more.

Planet Youth (planetyouth.ie) works in partnership with parents and the survey reports positive findings in relating to family life. Nine out of 10 pupils said it is easy to get caring and warmth from their parents, while 79 per cent indicated they have no problem talking to their parents or carers about personal matters.