Underage drinking is on the rise and teens are successfully finding ways to get their hands on alcohol. One place seems to be online. A new University of North Carolina study reveals there are over 5000 Internet alcohol vendors with little regulatory attention paid to this 2 billion dollar a year industry! Here's what the study found:;45 of 100 internet alcohol purchases were successful and the alcohol which was predominately wine, but included beer and liquor as well, was successfully received by underage buyers between the ages of 18 and 20. The reason nearly half of the sales got into a teen's hands? There was very little age verification required when placing an order. A simple check in a box that says the buyer is 21 was enough to make a purchase. The study also found that age verification at delivery was inconsistent. Even when packages were shipped and labeled "age verification at delivery", half of the time the package was delivered to a minor. In some cases the alcohol was delivered to a neighbor who then handed it off to the minor because the neighbor did not pay any attention to what was in the box. It's hard to stay ahead of tech savvy teens and with little regulation, underage Internet alcohol sales may continue rise. Parents, pay close attention to shipping labels that say age verification required. There is a reason for the warning. I'm Dr. Sue with The Kid's Doctor helping parents take charge.
