Alcohol consumption can negatively affect the development of young people. This risk can be reduced by raising the minimum age for alcohol consumption, as a study by the University of Zurich shows.
December 17, 2025, 05:30Dec 17, 2025, 06:08
Bruno Knellwolf / ch media
In general, people drink less alcohol than before. And in all age groups. However, alcohol consumption among European teenagers remains high internationally: almost half of 15 to 16-year-olds said in the European School Survey that they had consumed alcohol in the past month, and around 30 percent reported excessive drinking.
Funny, but not healthy: toasting together with alcohol. (symbol image)Image: Shutterstock
Heavy drinking on the weekend is more of a problem. In Switzerland, around one in four 15 to 19 year olds consumes four or more drinks at once at least once a month, as figures from Addiction Suisse and the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) show.
It is precisely because of excessive drinking that Spain has tightened alcohol laws over the last twenty years. These reforms typically included a higher minimum consumption age, stricter sales rules and new advertising requirements. Now Carmen Villa, assistant professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich, has examined what effects this has on Spanish youth.
Binge drinking fell by 14 percent
Published in the “Journal of Health Economics”. study Using data from 250,000 students, “these minimum age changes reduced teen alcohol consumption by 8 to 17 percent, with a greater impact on heavy drinking,” the study authors wrote. These effects occurred both in self-reports and in friends’ reports of drinking behavior, indicating actual behavioral changes, as Carmen Villa explains.
The decline in binge drinking and alcohol poisoning also led to significant educational gains: students achieved 4 percent better results on the PISA exams.
“In order to achieve similar progress through teaching time, around 1.5 additional hours per week would be required,” the researchers write. This improvement is consistent with findings from the medical literature. According to this, alcohol impairs cognitive development during adolescence – a phase of life in which the brain is particularly sensitive to alcohol.
Mental health also improved. Teens were 10 percent less likely to take medication for anxiety and insomnia.
These benefits occurred without changes in other behaviors. The young people spent the same amount of time on learning, social activities, internet use or sport. Likewise, they did not replace alcohol with other substances such as cannabis or cigarettes.
“These results are important policy signals for European countries where alcohol consumption among young people remains widespread. “Particularly in countries where alcohol consumption is still permitted from the age of 16,” write the study authors. This also applies to Switzerland, where 16-year-olds can legally buy beer or wine.
Given that compared to expensive educational interventions that can achieve similar results, these interventions are a cost-effective approach to improving adolescents’ cognitive outcomes. (aargauerzeitung.ch)