Underage drinking has ‘basically halved’ in the past two decades

The number of Australian teenagers who are drinking alcohol has plummeted in the past two decades.

New research from Curtin University today reveals drinking among 12 to 17-year-olds has “basically halved since the early 2000s”.

Report co-author, Associate Professor Michael Livingston, from the National Drug Research Institute at Curtain University, says many young people aren’t drinking at all.

“More than half of young people are not drinking alcohol at all anymore, young people aged 12-17,” he told Ross and Russel.

But the decrease in drinking hasn’t extended to other areas of health.

“Exercise isn’t really increasing, healthy eating isn’t really increasing,” Associate Professor Livingston said.

“We are finding concerning trends around mental health.”

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