Research suggests that youth who are aware that their parents would be upset with them if they drank are less likely to do so, emphasizing the importance of communication between parents and youth as a protective measure against underage alcohol use.

A special note about 2021 YRBS data: The data from the 2021 YRBS should be interpreted with caution as due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s YRBS was done in the fall instead of the usual spring timeline, meaning that students were overall younger when they completed the survey. In addition, students who participated in the 2021 YRBS may have had a different educational and social experience compared to previous participants. Disruptions, including remote learning, lack of social interactions and extracurricular activities, are likely reflected in the survey results.