Is it OK to give my teen an alcohol-free drink? Experts weigh in

It's that time of year when everyone gets a little bit... merry.

There are weekend barbeques, catch-ups, and that long stretch of summer holidays. For many, these festivities are celebrated with a drink in hand.

But experts are warning against letting your teenagers imbibe – even if it's a zero alcohol drink.

READ MORE: 'He has a rash on his chest. How quickly can you get here?' Sydney mum's warning after 'scary' ordeal

"I've had lots of conversations with parents and it's widely assumed if they supply alcohol in the home it's going to be protective and teach responsible drinking. Unfortunately, the evidence shows it does the opposite. If parents supply alcohol it can result in riskier use," Professor Jacqueline Bowden from Flinders University told 9Honey.

"Even the supply of sips is unfortunately associated with more drinking among adolescents and starting at a younger age. This leads to issues such as negative affects on the brain, mental health harms, risk of injury and risky sexual behaviour and an increased risk of developing harmful drinking patterns into adulthood."

But what of parents looking to zero alcohol drinks as a stop gap, a way to tide their kids over until they're at the age to make their own decisions?

A quick search of Reddit shows it's something many parents are looking to. And a survey of 1,000 parents of three-15-year-olds, conducted by the Czech Republic based Nielsen Admosphere, found that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of parents believe it's ok to give children drinks with less than 0.5 per cent alcohol.

When looking at kids aged 11-15, this rose to 36 per cent. More than half of these parents (56 per cent) also did not consider these drinks to be alcoholic, according to Euronews.

READ MORE: Mum calls out school photographer over epic photoshop fail

But according to Professor Bowden, these should also be avoided. If teenagers try, and like the taste, it will be more of an incentive to seek out their 'real' versions, she warns.

"The fact that the alcohol industry can promote them more broadly, and they're seen more, and are often in supermarkets, changes attitudes towards alcohol," she says.

"What we're concerned about is that many zero alcohol drinks have similar branding to alcohol. It's setting up an association around certain alcohol brands, something that could lead to more drinking down the track."

Professor Bowden adds that many of these drinks can contain low amounts, so while parents may read zero, they can contain up to 0.05 per cent.

Figures from the longitudinal study Growing up in Australia found that 28 per cent of teens aged 16-17 were permitted by parents to drink at home. Of this age cohort, 18 per cent were also given alcohol to take to parties.

READ MORE: Mum calls out school photographer over epic photoshop fail

Eleanor Costello from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation said the ADF was pleased to see that overall drinking rates were trending down, saying the number of people drinking daily and weekly was at its lowest in more than a decade.

While zero-alcohol drinks may have a place for adults looking to reduce their consumption of alcohol, when it came to those under 18 consuming these, Ms Costello feels they can sometimes introduce drinking into our culture unnecessarily.

"We want parents to have the information to make an informed decision about products such as zero-alcohol drinks," she told 9Honey.

"To understand that zero alcohol drinks do taste like alcohol and are marketed like alcohol... (and to ask) does it create more situations (to have these) where you wouldn't normally drink alcohol. Is it further supporting drinking culture and involving alcohol in these situations."

READ MORE: TV host left mortified after young daughter drops embarrassing 'truth bombs' live on air

Ms Costello also questioned whether the alcohol industry has consumer's 'best interests at heart' with these products. While they do fill a need for some, she highlights that it also opens up a pathway to the 'real drinks' for younger drinkers who get accustomed to the taste,

"For young people, is it conditioning... introducing them to no alcohol, does it more quickly lead to the pathway for alcohol products is our concern," she said.