Binge drinking in France

At night this popular tourist attraction is taken over by local teenagers and young adults who come here to party and get drunk. At 2 AM there are dozens of people on the bridge and everyone is drinking. This 17 year old is celebrating a friend’s birthday with several bottles of wine. Until recently, most people here believed French youth, raised on wine at home, were immune to drinking themselves into oblivion. But research suggests in the last few years there’s been a dramatic increase in binge drinking in France. The students at this high school say they’re the target of aggressive marketing. This 18 year old says alcohol is everywhere. Under proposed new restrictions, open bars would be outlawed and it would raise the legal buying age of alcohol from 16 to 18. most observers say the new law wouldn’t change much because wine and alcohol are such an integral part of French culture that people still don’t recognize its potential dangers. This politician says education in addition to a change in laws is needed. Most young people say the new laws wouldn’t stop them from drinking.