Germany to ban 14- and 15-year-olds from drinking alcohol with adults

The German government has approved a draft law that would prohibit 14- and 15-year-olds from consuming alcohol while accompanied by an adult. Currently, under Germany’s Youth Protection Act, individuals in this age group are allowed to drink beer, wine, or sparkling wine as long as they are supervised by a parent or another adult with parental responsibility.

Family Minister Karin Prien, who introduced the proposal, contends that the present legislation fails to adequately safeguard young people's well-being and conflicts with the government's overarching objective of preventing addiction. Despite this, the rules permitting 16-year-olds to legally purchase and consume beer, wine, and sparkling wine, as well as spirits for those aged 18, will remain unaffected.

Neighboring countries like France, the Netherlands, and Poland impose an 18-year minimum age for all types of alcohol purchases. The proposed legislation will undergo a vote in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat. Although the German government aims to enforce stricter regulations on teenage drinking, recent trends indicate a declining pattern.

According to a 2024 study by the Federal Institute for Public Health, only 6.9% of girls and 12.4% of boys aged 12 to 17 reported drinking alcohol at least once weekly, a significant decrease from the 2004 figures. Alcohol consumption among adults has also been steadily declining over the past four decades. In 1980, German individuals aged 15 consumed an average of 15.1 liters of alcohol per month, compared to 10.5 liters per month in 2024.