Smartphones, demographics shape Gen Z drinking

Concerns over health and alcohol among Gen Zs in the US may be exaggerated, as the perceived risk of binge drinking on a weekly basis has not budged for nearly two decades, according to a report by Rabobank Research, titled 'The real reasons Generation Z is drinking less alcohol'.

- Glenneis Kriel

Instead, Rabobank argued that Gen Zs, born between 1997 and 2012, were primarily drinking less because of the impact of smartphones and shifts in demographics towards groups that drink more moderately.

The report stated that smartphones influenced the onset of drinking and drinking habits in two ways: first, by reducing in-person socialisation; and second, through the loss of privacy that comes with parental surveillance, making it more difficult for teenagers to lie about their whereabouts.