Research that found Maltese 15-year-olds were the most likely – among their youthful counterparts in 42 countries – to drink alcohol was “proof” that teens were not being kept away from adult entertainment, a veteran psychologist has warned.

“Youths that age want to start having more of a social life, yet they find almost nothing on offer. To make matters worse, not much effort is made to keep them from getting in or coming back,” child psychologist Charles Grech told The Sunday Times of Malta.

Dr Grech was contacted for his reaction to the findings in the World Health Organisation’s study Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children.

The report, conducted globally and published earlier this month, found that Maltese 15-year-olds were the most likely to drink alcohol at least once a week. Nearly a third of the Maltese youths surveyed drank alcohol – double the international average.

The Maltese attraction to drinking coincides with the increased freedom of sixth form education, as Maltese youths aged 13 and 11 ranked far lower in the list.

In fact, these adolescents, who had just started or were halfway through secondary school, all scored well below the international average.

Nearly a third of the Maltese youths surveyed drank alcohol – double the international average

Dr Grech said he had spent the last two decades working with teens “O level age and older” and said a common complaint was that alternatives to trying to get into nightclubs on weekends were non-existent. “We know youths that age are going to Paceville but it seems the authorities are waiting for something tragic to happen before stepping in to stop it. It’s time to wake up,” he said.

The issue of underage youths attending bars and nightclubs was raised last Novemeber after 74 clubbers, mostly minors, were injured when a Paceville club’s stairwell collapsed. The incident, which saw youths as young as 13 suffer serious injuries, prompted the government to react with a public consultation.

A White Paper is currently being drafted with proposals, but requests by this newspaper for insights into government plans were rejected.

The incident also exposed the lax enforcement of age restrictions. While industry sources report that hundreds of underage youths attend night clubs every weekend, only a handful of fines were being issued by police.

Dr Grech said that youths that age were particularly vulnerable in such situations, as they were not only unaware of their limits in terms of alcohol consumption but were also more susceptible to peer pressure.

Early consumption, he added, was conducive to the development of abusive behaviours and dependency.

Asked if the lack of entertainment alternatives was the only thing drawing the youths to alcohol and adult nightlife, Dr Grech said the list of factors was hefty.

“Youths are exposed to the consumption of alcohol through the media. There is close to no segregation between adult activities and those suitable for children – there isn’t a culture of it on the island,” he said.

Dr Grech added that many youths also reported being stressed at school, which exacerbated the situation.

In fact, the WHO study also found Maltese youths were among the most stressed from school, with Maltese 15-year-olds preparing for O levels topping the list.

“It really is time to rethink the way we let youths loose on nightclubs and drinking. It is not healthy and not acceptable,” he said.