One reader says a higher drinking age would protect youth’s developing brains, while the other believes addressing parental attitudes is key.
Should Hong Kong raise the drinking age amidst youth alcohol concerns? Photo: Shutterstock Each week, two readers discuss a hot topic in a parliamentary-style debate that doesn’t necessarily reflect their personal viewpoints.
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For: Valerie Chiu, 14, St Mary’s Canossian College
Drinking alcohol is popular among young people, serving as an outlet for them to socialise and unwind. The legal drinking age in Hong Kong is currently 18 years old. Is this the right time for teenagers to embrace alcohol?
While reaching adulthood indicates more autonomy and opportunities, personalities are still not fully developed until they are 25. When considering whether to raise the drinking age, health is far more important than social lives.
Research shows the brain undergoes crucial development until age 25. Alcohol can interfere with this brain development in young people. It can cause long-term consequences like damage to the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, resulting in issues with memory, learning and judgment. This can also increase the risk of conditions like mood disorders, ADHD, PTSD and other mental health challenges.
People tend to make wiser decisions and develop more self-discipline as they gain more life experience. Adulthood requires one to embrace more responsibilities and challenges. Therefore, people should not drink at a young age, as they may have yet to develop critical thinking skills.
Since young people are the future pillars of society, the Hong Kong community should strive to support the next generation’s growth. Perhaps after people enter the job market, they can drink more freely at social engagements and networking events.
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Other cities and nations have higher drinking ages. If Hong Kong follows this trend, it will present itself as a city that prioritises its residents’ physical and mental well-being.
Those in favour of maintaining the current drinking age often argue that individuals at 18 are legally considered adults and should have the autonomy to make their own choices.
However, this assumption overlooks the fact that many young adults are still in a phase of development where they may not be fully educated about the consequences of their decisions.
By raising the drinking age, we can deter young people from unhealthy choices. It also promotes social activities that do not revolve around alcohol.
For the betterment of Hong Kong society, it is crucial to raise the drinking age to prioritise young people’s health and well-being and allow for the development of a more responsible drinking culture.
Against: Giselle Lee, 16, West Island School
Underaged drinking is a pressing issue that affects teens in Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong Medical Journal, the prevalence of drinking in Secondary One to Six students was an alarming 21.5 per cent.
Raising the drinking age in the city from its current limit of 18 years may seem like the only solution. However, this is not addressing the root problem.
It is crucial to keep in mind that other countries have implemented stricter drinking age limits than Hong Kong and have still failed to prevent alcohol consumption in teens.
The most notable example would be the United States – with the limit being 21. Similar age limits are also present in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, though they all lead to the same results: quantifiable instances of youth alcoholism.
The 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health in the US found that 34.1 per cent of adolescents have had at least one drink in their lives. A survey by Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia found that 45 per cent of the youth who admitted to consuming alcoholic beverages were underage.
These examples could not be more evident that raising the age limit is not practical in changing the status quo, and doing the same in Hong Kong will not create positive change.
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Perhaps, instead of trying to impose heavier limitations on alcohol consumption, the Hong Kong government could look into tackling the underlying issues that drive underaged teens to start drinking – parents.
One of the risk factors contributing to Hong Kong youth alcoholism includes parental pro-drinking practices and the lack of parental disapproval of adolescent drinking. At its core, familial relationships contribute massively to a teen’s drinking habits.
Some may believe the earlier they start drinking, the better; some may be doing it as an act of rebellion. Rather than casting an umbrella over all these hidden problems that cause teenage drinking issues, we should be investigating ways to prevent this from happening in the first place.
This can be done through better methods than raising the drinking age, such as family counselling sessions or educational programmes to teach teens about the dangers of prolonged drinking habits.
This will then have a deterrent effect that eventually reduces the number of underage drinking in Hong Kong, which is better than slapping a higher age limit on drinking.