Non-alcoholic beers, mocktails should be kept away from children, experts warn

BOSTON – Experts are issuing a warning about children and the use of non-alcoholic spirits and beverages that look like the real thing.

Low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers and mocktails have become increasingly popular among younger adults who want to limit their alcohol use or abstain altogether. 

While these beverages by law have to contain less than 0.5% alcohol by volume and are therefore unlikely to give anyone a "buzz," experts at Stanford University and others are saying these beverages should not be sold to minors. 

These drinks often have the same look, taste, smell, and branding of alcohol and some worry these zero-proof options encourage kids to eventually reach for the real thing. Some states limit the sales of these products to kids, but most do not.   

In:
• Alcohol

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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