A survey from Churchill Home Insurance has found out that half of UK parents allow children aged under 14 to drink alcohol at home.
The survey also found that 34% of parents bribe their children to encourage good behavior in exchange of alcohol.
Another point to note is that 11% of parents allowed their children to drink at home despite being in the age group of only five and seven.
Parents who said that they saw nothing wrong in letting their children drink constituted 25%.
In the UK, it is not illegal for children in the age group 5-16 years to consume alcohol at home.
However, there are serious implications on their health according to a Chief Medical Officer’s report which includes possible alcohol-related injuries, suicidal tendencies and violent behavior.
The Chief Medical Officer report advices for an alcohol-free childhood.
Churchill Home Insurance head Martin Scott says that the relationship between children and alcohol in the UK always looks to be causing more anxiety when compared to continental cousins.
According to Scott, the survey report hints that most of the parents prefer introducing alcohol in a safe, controlled environment and want their children to develop a responsible attitude to drinking early in their life.
Scott said: “Many parents want their children to have a responsible attitude to drinking and introduce alcohol in a safe, controlled environment.
“The challenge any parent will recognise is how to prevent excessive drinking, especially amongst teenagers ... Whenever people are drinking in the home, there is a greater risk of injury or property damage as alcohol has a significant impact on co-ordination.”
According to the survey, around one third of the parents think that allowing their kids to drink at home helps them in monitoring their child’s alcohol consumption.
Another finding from the survey is that one in five parents would let minors who are not part of their family to drink in their house.
The survey was conducted by Churchill on a sample of around 1000 parents in the UK.
