When I was a teenager growing up in London in the late 90s, it seemed the coolest thing to do on a Friday evening was to gather in the park to drink alcohol and pretend to like it. My parents rarely let me go and I secretly didn’t mind very much.

Since then, research has shown marked declines in how much and how frequently young people in many high-income countries are drinking. But at the same time, in many developing countries, the opposite is happening – with alcohol consumption among young people on the rise.

In the latest episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we talk to three experts who’ve been trying to understand these trends and what they reveal about the way young people see themselves. Listen directly on The Conversation or follow The Conversation Weekly wherever you get your podcasts.

Gemma Ware

Editor and Co-Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast

Drinking is going out of fashion among young people in some parts of the world, but not others. Kzenon via Shutterstock.

As young people in rich countries drink less alcohol, elsewhere youth drinking is on the rise – podcast

Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation

Young people in high-income countries now drink much less than their counterparts 20 years ago. But the opposite is happening in developing countries. Why? Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.

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Ritchie Williamson, University of Bradford; Stuart Dickens, University of Bradford

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