Serving Alcohol To Teens: It’s Unsafe, Illegal And Irresponsible (NAPSA)—Most teens who drink get their alcohol from “social” sources—parents of other teens, older siblings and otherrelatives andfriends. People whoprovidealcohol to teens underminetheefforts of parents to protect their kids from alcohol-related injury, and also break the law. A new national campaign to reduce underage drinking is focusing on “social sources” through a Web site, dontserveteens.gov, which is being sponsored by a coalition of public and private sec- tor organizations, including the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency. Practical Steps To Take Among the tips found on dontserveteens.govare: e Tell your teen the minimum legal drinking age is 21, and that drinking can cause serious health and safety consequences—as well as legal consequences for the person whoprovidesthealcohol. Keep track of the alcohol in your home. Makesure teens can’t get to it without your knowledge. e Talk to your kids about how to refuse a drink and what to say if they encounter pressure. Be frank about telling other parents that you don’t want people serving alcohol to your teen or condoning teen drinking. e Get together with the parents of your teen’s friends. Let them know that teen drinking comes with unacceptable risks and that you do not want—or expect—anyoneto allow your teen to drink alcohol. e Talk to adults who host teen parties. Let them know that 86 percent of parents support the Research indicates more than 25 percent of high school seniors don’t drink alcohol and many say that share can get even biggerif adults do their part. legal drinking age and 96 percent of adults agree that it is not okay to serve alcohol to someoneelse’s teen. e Talk to managers at restaurants, recreation areas, commu- nity centers and other places teen parties are held. Tell them the parents in your community do not want their teens to have accessto alcohol. e Let local law enforcement know that you are all for active policing of noisy teen parties. A noisy party may signal alcohol use; you will ask them to check it out. e Tell local alcohol retailers that you don’t mind waiting while they check IDs before selling alcohol. For more information on stop- ping teens’ easy access to alcohol, practical tips on talking to kids about alcohol and alcohol advertising, and what to say to neighbors and friends about serving alcohol to teens, visit dontserveteens.gov.
