Health campaigners are warning parents that it is a myth to think that allowing children to drink in the home will put them off binge drinking.
With the traditional drinking seasons of Christmas and New Year around the corner, campaign group What's the Harm is urging parents to be good role models and stick to boundaries instead.
The campaign group echoes advice from England's chief medical officer, which recommends an alcohol-free childhood as the healthiest scenario and no alcohol consumption at all before at least the age of 15.
The group is concerned that some parents are tempted to believe that by giving small amounts of alcohol to their children at home, they will be less curious about it - something the group said was not true.
'While it may sound like a sensible thing to do, all of the evidence shows it is more likely to give your child a taste for alcohol and become heavier drinkers in the future,' it said.
Colin Shevills, the director of alcohol awareness group Balance, said too many parents are buying into the myth that youngsters in France are less likely to binge drink because they grow up drinking wine in a family setting at home.
He told The Guardian that most parents were not aware of the chief medical officer's guidance on alcohol.
He said that from his experience of speaking to parents in the north-east of England, where Balance operates, 'there's a myth that providing alcohol at a young age makes children less curious, when in fact it can be a trigger for drinking.'
'People mention the French way of giving children alcohol – but France actually has twice the rate of alcohol dependence of the UK,' he said.
According to recent figures, British girls are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe, with Wales coming second, Scotland fourth and England sixth out of 36 European countries for the prevelance of drunkenness among 15-year-olds across the region.
The study for the World Health Organisation, however, found a hugely contrasting picture among boys of the same age. They were far less likely to have been drunk at age 15, with Scotland coming sixth, Wales 13th and England 18th in the table.
Dr Jo Inchley, assistant director at St Andrew's Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit, told The Telegraph that the reason for the differences was 'surprising because girls tend to respond more to health messages than boys do'.
'We do know that mental health issues are a big concern among adolescent girls, and coping could be one of the reasons why girls are binge drinking,' Dr Inchley said.
Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance, blamed the marketing strategies of alcohol brands that are choosing to target women.
'There's no doubt that we are seeing young girls and women feeling increasing pressure. But we are also seeing very aggressive marketing of drinks at female drinkers, especially via social media - for sweeter drinks and fizzy drinks,' he said.
