Overview

• On July 11, Bavaria’s state government lodged a Bundesrat initiative to end the exception in the 1952 Youth Protection Act permitting parental-supervised alcohol consumption by 14- and 15-year-olds.
• The existing rule allows minors to consume beer and wine in public venues under parental oversight, a practice health officials deem outdated.
• The proposal has backing from the Gesundheitsministerkonferenz and aligns with a Forsa poll finding two-thirds of Germans favor raising the age limit for supervised drinking.
• Health Minister Judith Gerlach cites international studies showing that early supervised alcohol use correlates with higher rates of binge behavior and potential cognitive harm.
• The initiative now awaits Bundesrat deliberation and could pave the way for further steps such as raising the legal purchase age or tightening alcohol advertising rules.