England child alcohol use tops global chart, finds WHO report

ENGLAND: A third of 11-year-olds and more than half of 13-year-olds in England have drunk alcohol – putting it top out of 44 countries examined in a report by global health experts.

Girls were found to be more likely than boys to be drinking and getting drunk aged 15 in England, Wales and Scotland.

The World Health Organization (WHO) report said alcohol, which can damage children’s brains, has been normalised.

Advertisement

ALSO READ: JKCI introduces HBC to curb sudden deaths

It called on countries to introduce more measures to protect children.

The report looked at data from about 4,500 school-age children from each country in Europe, central Asia and Canada in 2021-22 on cigarette smoking, vaping, alcohol and cannabis habits among adolescents.