Experts believe teenage drinking is a multifaceted issue, with societal, parental, and economic influences all contributing to the crisis.
Image of underage girls drinking alcohol at local tavern. Picture / FacebookThe problem of teenage drinking in South Africa has once again come into the spotlight after pictures of underage girls proudly consuming alcohol outside a local tavern started circulating on social media this week.
In June 2022, more than 20 teenagers died at an overcrowdedwas mainly young people under the age of 18, with the youngest victim at least 13. The parents were told their children died from suffocation. Professor Joel Francis, a Research Professor of Family Medicine and Primary Care at Wits University told IOL that societal, parental, and economic influences all contributing to the alcohol abuse crisis.
While South Africa’s legal drinking age is 18, weak enforcement of this law, particularly in rural and township areas, has allowed minors to purchase alcohol without much resistance. “There are other influencing factors, for example, the school that children go to, exposure to advertisements, religiosity, location, and density of taverns,” he explained.
Other commentators pointed to the government’s role in exacerbating the issue by granting too many rights to children.
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