Children Affected When Adults Drink

One third of British children are negatively affected when they see adults drinking, claimed CBBC's Newsround.

Half of children said they have seen their parents drunk at some time, according to a survey.

Around 75 percent children said their parents drink alcohol, and seven out of those ten thought they had seen them drunk.

46 per cent of the surveyed children thought that adults should not drink in front of children, while 32 per cent thought this was all right, and 22 per cent were unsure.

When the children were given a list of words to describe how they felt when they saw adults drinking, 47 per cent said they were not bothered.

But 30 per cent said it made them feel scared.

Eight in every ten children who had seen adults drinking said they noticed one or more behavioural changes in them.

"There has been much discussion about levels of drinking, but the social impact is rarely explored from a child's point of view. Alcohol is present in the lives of most of our audience in one way or another, yet it is something they may not feel confident talking about," The Scotsman quoted Damian Kavanagh, Controller of CBBC as saying.

The research was revealed on CBBC's Newsround on the issue of alcohol and how adults' drinking affects children's lives.