Very young children

Get talking – when do you start? 

Children are naturally curious about alcohol – they see people drinking and they want to know more?  What does it taste like? Why can’t I try some. They may see vaping on social media or being promoted by influencers – or be offered puffs by older friends or siblings, especially as they are deliberately fruit flavoured, and attractively packaged making them more appealing to young people.   

Kids will be influenced by their friends, their teachers, TV, films and social media – but in most cases, parents have the biggest effect on their children’s behaviour, so you’re in a good position to make sure they have the facts about alcohol, vaping and cannabis. 

At what age should I talk about drinking?
There is no one size fits all message, however gearing your conversation to different ages helps.

Very young children

By the time a child is aged five, research shows they have already formed basic attitudes and opinions about alcohol and understand the difference between drunkenness and moderate drinking. If you drink at home, your children are bound to ask questions at an early age about what you are drinking and what it tastes like, so make sure you’re prepared to explain how alcohol is for adults as children can’t digest alcohol and it would make them sick and unwell. With a vape, they may be curious about what it is and think it is a toy or sweet. Be careful to explain that it is a device to help adults give up smoking and contains a drug called nicotine that is in cigarettes and is very hard to give up once someone starts.