A recent study led by Carmen Villa, assistant professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich, indicates that raising the minimum legal drinking age from 16 to 18 years in certain Spanish regions has resulted in improved academic performance and mental health among teenagers.
Villa and co-author Manuel Bagues from the University of Warwick examined four Spanish regions where stricter alcohol regulations were enacted over the last two decades. These policies included measures such as limiting alcohol sales to minors, restricting access to venues serving alcohol, and tightening advertising rules. The staggered implementation across regions allowed researchers to compare student behaviors before and after policy changes. Data analyzed included surveys from approximately 250,000 Spanish students about their drinking habits, test results from 180,000 PISA exam participants, and census data for 600,000 individuals in 2021.
The study found that following stricter alcohol laws, there was a decrease in the likelihood of teenagers aged 14 to 17 becoming intoxicated in the previous month by between 7% and 17%. Binge drinking rates fell by 14%.
Educational outcomes also improved: students in areas with a higher legal drinking age scored on average 4% better on PISA exams. According to researchers, this is roughly equivalent to two additional months of schooling. The authors note these improvements are consistent with existing medical literature that shows adolescent brain development can be impaired by alcohol consumption.
Mental health gains were also observed. Teenagers living under stricter alcohol laws were found to be 10% less likely to use medications prescribed for anxiety or insomnia. "Our findings establish a causal link between alcohol consumption and mental health outcomes, and they align with existing medical observations," says Villa.
The research further noted that these benefits occurred without significant changes in other aspects of teenage behavior; there was no notable shift in time spent studying or socializing, nor an increase in alternative substance use such as cannabis or cigarettes. "This pattern suggests that the observed academic improvements are directly linked to the neurocognitive effects of alcohol rather than to indirect lifestyle changes," adds Villa.
The study's conclusions may have implications for countries like Switzerland where it is currently legal for those as young as sixteen to consume beer and wine—a country with youth drinking rates above the European average. Villa states: "Raising the minimum legal drinking age is a cost-effective tool for enhancing cognitive development among teenagers."
