Global alcohol manufacturers pay attention not only to the amount of drinks they sell, but to responsible drinking as well. One of them, AB InBev UK, has initiated a study, conducted by Populus and Mumsnet, to reveal what influences young people’s attitudes to drinking and what they consider the most reliable source of information when it comes to talks about alcohol. The study revealed, that young people in the UK believe parents educate them better on the alcohol consumption issue than teachers or even health advisers (31% compared to 9% and 9% respectively)—but it’s better for them to source advice from other parents (37%), shared through a website (82%). To encourage the talk, AB InBev UK launched a new project dubbed Family Talk UK on the Facebook platform, where parents of teens are able to get advice related to the theme.

Photo: Family Talk UK Facebook page

The Facebook-page offers visitors a bunch of YouTube-videos, created to help moms and dads connect with their children in a proper way to make the conversation about alcohol and responsible drinking smooth, open and informative, encouraging kids to make smart decisions when it comes to alcohol consumption. The video tips include guidance episodes such as “Be open and honest” and “Take a balanced view: be reasonable not confrontational” to name but a few.

Stuart MacFarlane, President, AB InBev UK, commented, “We take our role as a responsible brewer extremely seriously. We work hard to play our part in encouraging responsible drinking, but we recognise that it is parents who have the greatest influence on their children’s attitudes to alcohol. We also know that many parents find it difficult to talk about alcohol with their children. Through our Family Talk UK programme we are working with Mumsnet to create a collection of tips and videos to help parents start the conversation about alcohol and responsible drinking.”