1. It sends a message that alcohol is needed for socialising or adult behavior. While it is part of many adult social lives, is it NECESSARY? (The answer is no, and if you can’t socialise without alcohol, time to talk to your doc.)

2. Marketing: 0.0% beers look exactly the same. Giving it to children increases “brand familiarity” (Marketing an adult product to children to create new long term consumers is not new – remember Joe Camel*?)

3. It’s not really alcohol free: Some “non-alcoholic” beers contain up to 0.5% alcohol (yes, that’s legal). While low, it’s not zero, and above a healthy amount for a child or teen with developing brain.

4. Buying beer for a child or teen can send confusing messages, especially if you are (hopefully) trying to help them grow up without underage drinking or a healthy relationship with alcohol.

5. It’s far down the list, but alcohol-free beer is high in carbs and has ingredients like hobs and carbonation that children don’t need in a healthy diet. Pick another treat.

Everyone reading this already knows that we have a public health problem with alcohol. And while zero beers have a real role in helping public health – particularly for reducing alcohol intake and reducing drink driving. – they aren’t appropriate for everyone, including some who are recovering from addiction and find them triggering. And they have the potential to do harm.

Better legislation around the marketing and consumption of zero beers is urgently needed – but in the meantime, let your child have their childhood and your teen have their adolescence.