A glass of wine with dinner, or a beer when watching football with the family - according to a new campaign launched by the Alcohol Alliance AAN, it’s not a great idea. Instead, the campaign advises parents not to drink in front of their children, warning that it sets a bad example for young people. 

"Sees drinking, does drinking" alcohol awareness campaign warns

Zien drinken, doet drinken, or “Sees drinking, does drinking” is the slogan for the alliance’s latest campaign, which launched earlier this week and argues that children who see their parents drink alcohol are more likely to adopt that behaviour themselves. 

“In general, children who see their parents drink think more positively about alcohol than children who do not see their parents drink, regardless of the amount,” the Alcohol Alliance writes. “As a result, these children start drinking at a younger age and drink more later on.”

Alcohol consumption amongst teenagers in the Netherlands

On the group’s website, they highlight the recent findings of research carried out by the Trimbos Institute, which revealed that 26 percent of secondary school students aged 12 to 16-year-olds had drunk alcohol in the past month, with more than 70 percent of these teens saying they drank at least five glasses at a time.