Currently, young people aged 14 and over can drink a glass of sparkling wine under parental supervision. /image alliance, Annette Riedl
Berlin – Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and the health ministers of several federal states are in favor of banning so-called accompanied drinking by young people aged 14 to 16.
“From a health policy perspective, there cannot be two opinions on this issue,” Lauterbach told Editorial network Germany (RND). “The presence of adults does not change the harm that alcohol can do to children. That is why so-called accompanied consumption should be prohibited.”
According to the Youth Protection Act, young people in Germany are allowed to buy and drink beer, wine and sparkling wine from the age of 16. This is permitted from the age of 14 when accompanied by a guardian – even in restaurants or in public.
Lauterbach is not alone in his criticism of this regulation. Bavarian Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) and Berlin Health Senator Ina Czyborra (SPD) are also in favor of abolishing accompanied drinking.
The permission does not make sense given the prevention goals, Gerlach told RND. Czyborra said alcohol consumption poses a major threat to the physical and mental development of young people.
Lower Saxony’s Health Minister Andreas Philippi (SPD) recently called the treatment “a completely wrong social signal”. “Accompanied drinking trivializes alcohol consumption and should be abolished,” he told the Hannoversche Allgemeine Newspaper. The earlier you start drinking, the more problematic the behavior will be in adulthood.
The Conference of Health Ministers of the Federal States (GMK) looked into the issue in June and decided that experts should take a closer look at the rules of the Youth Protection Act by November.
The debate is welcomed by DAK-Gesundheit: Accompanied alcohol consumption should be examined, said cashier Andreas Storm. “Parental access to alcohol lowers the inhibition threshold to start drinking.”
Many children and young people are still hospitalized every year because of alcohol consumption. The DAK referred to its own surveys, according to which around 6,000 young people aged 15 to 17 across Germany would have to be treated in clinics for alcohol abuse by 2023.
According to Federal Drug CommissionerBurkhard Blienert (SPD), statistically every German drinks ten liters of pure alcohol per year. In a European comparison, the Federal Republic is a country with high consumption. Eight million people drink hazardously and 1.6 to 1.8 million people are alcohol dependent in the strictest sense.
The idea of banning drinking among teenagers is also viewed with scepticism. Any measure to prevent young people from drinking alcohol is good for their health, said Tino Sorge, health policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
However, the new rules would have to be assessed against the realities of life. “The family plays a central role when it comes to the responsible use of alcohol. Whether a categorical ban can be established, even in the private sector, should be discussed pragmatically.” No teenager who tries a sip of his father’s beer for the first time will become an alcoholic.
CDU politician Sorge stressed that educational provision in schools and clubs and a close look at young people’s social environment are more important. The vast majority of excessive alcohol consumption occurs where parents are not present. © dpa/aerzteblatt.de