5 ms·

Depends on your definition of "children". France only banned alcohol in lycées in 1981... only 42 years ago. Otherwise, you are right. The main ban (children u

by slau 3y ago

Depends on your definition of "children". France only banned alcohol in lycées in 1981... only 42 years ago. Otherwise, you are right. The main ban (children under the age of 14) was in 1956, or 67 years ago.

KeplerBoy 3y ago
Is Alcohol banned in the french equivalent of a high school? It certainly is not here in Austria. 17 year olds drinking beer between their late afternoon classes is not unheard of and often tolerated.
- slau 3y ago
  Lycée would be the equivalent of high-school, with a typical age of 15-18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_education_in_France https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_education_in_France).
- miroljub 3y ago
  Why would it not be tolerated? They are almost grown up. If they are considered mature enough to make their driver's license, why wouldn't they be allowed to drink?
  - digging 3y ago
    They're also old enough to have sex, but they probably aren't supposed to do that at school.
    - miroljub 3y ago
      > 17 year olds drinking beer between their late afternoon classes is not unheard of and often tolerated. Well, it's between classes, in their free time.
      - digging 3y ago
        Not clear if they're doing it at school or outside of school. If the latter, the analogy doesn't apply.
  - KeplerBoy 3y ago
    > If they are considered mature enough to make their driver's license, why wouldn't they be allowed to drink? Don't know, seems natural to me, since I've grown up with that mindset but not all nations agree on that.
cobbaut 3y ago
That main ban is for purchasing alcoholic beverages. Adults in France can buy alcohol and serve it legally to their children. Same in Belgium, until 2010 it was even allowed to serve drinks to children in bars providing that adults where present and buying the drinks. I don't get some countries or people that forbid alcohol until you are 18 or 21. I drank beer when I was 8 and got totally drunk at 14. Which was a good thing, because it was at home and, well, lesson learned. Starting with alcohol when going out at 18 or 21 sounds much more dangerous.
- MAGZine 3y ago
  Many states and provinces in north America have similar provisions, just fyi.
- bonzini 3y ago
  The important thing is getting even mildly drunk, even once only, before you are confident driving. 5 years as in the US are way too much as you will confidently drive drunk without understanding the effect. In other countries you will probably be drunk for the first time around the time you're taking driving lessons, or earlier.
- zeku 3y ago
  In North America drunk driving is a huge problem. You can't get anywhere without driving a car so if you're drinking and not in your house you have to drive home. Social pressure/not yet fully formed brain etc. leads to ppl under 21 being more likely to drive drunk. That's the rationale for not being able to drink until 21. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that minimum drinking age laws have saved more than 31,000 lives from 1975 to 2017" https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/motor-vehicle-safety-issues/alcohol-impaired-driving/ https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/motor-vehicle-safe...
  - kjkjadksj 3y ago
    Wow I would have thought this saved more than a thousand lives a year, thats like a rounding error with the amount of deaths overall a year. Then take into account probably a lot more underage kids get their lives ruined with a drinking conviction and its probably a law that results in overall net harm.
s_dev 3y ago
Belgium wants to give kids beer to keep them off sugary drinks: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12248/belgian-plan-give-beer-schoolchildren https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12248/belgian-plan-give-... They tested it out and the test was successful. The kids preferred beer to sugary drinks. The beer was much weaker than what adults are accustomed to at 1.5% to 2% alcohol.
- zeku 3y ago
  Just some correction here for ppl who skim stuff: The linked article says this was a trial in 2001. Only 1 school did it and it seemed to go well, but no other schools were willing to try it.

by slau 3y ago

KeplerBoy 3y ago

Is Alcohol banned in the french equivalent of a high school? It certainly is not here in Austria. 17 year olds drinking beer between their late afternoon classes is not unheard of and often tolerated.

slau 3y ago
Lycée would be the equivalent of high-school, with a typical age of 15-18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_education_in_France https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_education_in_France).
miroljub 3y ago
Why would it not be tolerated? They are almost grown up. If they are considered mature enough to make their driver's license, why wouldn't they be allowed to drink?
- digging 3y ago
  They're also old enough to have sex, but they probably aren't supposed to do that at school.
  - miroljub 3y ago
    > 17 year olds drinking beer between their late afternoon classes is not unheard of and often tolerated. Well, it's between classes, in their free time.
    - digging 3y ago
      Not clear if they're doing it at school or outside of school. If the latter, the analogy doesn't apply.
- KeplerBoy 3y ago
  > If they are considered mature enough to make their driver's license, why wouldn't they be allowed to drink? Don't know, seems natural to me, since I've grown up with that mindset but not all nations agree on that.

cobbaut 3y ago

That main ban is for purchasing alcoholic beverages. Adults in France can buy alcohol and serve it legally to their children. Same in Belgium, until 2010 it was even allowed to serve drinks to children in bars providing that adults where present and buying the drinks. I don't get some countries or people that forbid alcohol until you are 18 or 21. I drank beer when I was 8 and got totally drunk at 14. Which was a good thing, because it was at home and, well, lesson learned. Starting with alcohol when going out at 18 or 21 sounds much more dangerous.

MAGZine 3y ago
Many states and provinces in north America have similar provisions, just fyi.
bonzini 3y ago
The important thing is getting even mildly drunk, even once only, before you are confident driving. 5 years as in the US are way too much as you will confidently drive drunk without understanding the effect. In other countries you will probably be drunk for the first time around the time you're taking driving lessons, or earlier.
zeku 3y ago
In North America drunk driving is a huge problem. You can't get anywhere without driving a car so if you're drinking and not in your house you have to drive home. Social pressure/not yet fully formed brain etc. leads to ppl under 21 being more likely to drive drunk. That's the rationale for not being able to drink until 21. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that minimum drinking age laws have saved more than 31,000 lives from 1975 to 2017" https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/motor-vehicle-safety-issues/alcohol-impaired-driving/ https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/motor-vehicle-safe...
- kjkjadksj 3y ago
  Wow I would have thought this saved more than a thousand lives a year, thats like a rounding error with the amount of deaths overall a year. Then take into account probably a lot more underage kids get their lives ruined with a drinking conviction and its probably a law that results in overall net harm.

s_dev 3y ago

Belgium wants to give kids beer to keep them off sugary drinks: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12248/belgian-plan-give-beer-schoolchildren https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12248/belgian-plan-give-... They tested it out and the test was successful. The kids preferred beer to sugary drinks. The beer was much weaker than what adults are accustomed to at 1.5% to 2% alcohol.

zeku 3y ago
Just some correction here for ppl who skim stuff: The linked article says this was a trial in 2001. Only 1 school did it and it seemed to go well, but no other schools were willing to try it.