A study published in the journal Pediatrics finds that not enough parental supervision during early adolescence may increase the likelihood of alcohol abuse, especially in girls.  The study was conducted by researchers at Florida Atlantic University.

The researchers studied a group of girls throughout their teenage years, from the age of 13 to 17. All of the girls in the group had matured early. Each year, the girls answered questions about parental supervision, including if the parents allowed them to consume alcohol. They found that as the girls got older, the alcohol consumption increased. Compared to other girls who were categorized as late bloomers, the girls in the study had an 84 percent increase in alcohol abuse throughout the years. The study also found that the more the girls drank in young adolescence, the more freedom they were given. Parents seemed to increase the freedom as the drinking problems grew.

The researchers state that because the girls matured earlier, they often had older friends that influenced their habits, including drinking. These older peers also did not reportedly have much parental supervision, thus driving their drinking habits.

Parental supervision, to an extent, is necessary in order to curb possibly dangerous habits in children.