A new online survey developed by researchers from the University of Newcastle and Hunter New England Population Health, in collaboration with the Australian Drug Foundation, aims to help families navigate the challenges of teenage alcohol use.

With children drinking at younger ages, the research team is seeking parental feedback to tailor a national intervention targeting alcohol-related harm among adolescents.

“To ensure our program meets parents’ needs it’s important to first find out about their concerns, to understand where they access information and how satisfied they are with it,” lead researcher Dr Conor Gilligan, from the University of Newcastle, said.

“The survey will help us develop a long-term online resource that is engaging for parents. We could create a site that looks clever and pretty but the whole point is that the information must be relevant.”

Statistics show that 62 per cent of 13-year-olds have drunk at least one full serve of alcohol, while almost 60 per cent of teens report drinking every month by the age of 17. More than a third of 12-17 –year-olds intend to get drunk every time they consume alcohol.

Parents are often the primary source of alcohol in early years, according to Dr Gilligan.

“Mums and dads think they’re doing the right thing by introducing alcohol in a safe environment but we’re seeing that the earlier kids start to drink, the higher risk of heavier drinking later on in adolescence,” Dr Gilligan said.

“It’s where you start to see alcohol-related injuries and violence in later adolescence, difficulty at school, regretted sexual activity, anxiety or depression and we want to nip this behaviour in the bud.

“We accept it’s hard for parents not to do it because drinking is a normal part of Australian culture and socialising. We could tell them not to supply, and provide evidence and strategies, but we need to help parents take the message on in a way that’s appropriate for them.”

Current resources tend to be static or require parents to attend workshops, which is a burden on busy family schedules.

The survey is now live at www.hmri.com.au/children-alcohol-survey.