LONDON - England leads globally in alcohol consumption among 11-year-olds and 13-year-olds, according to a recent report by the World Health Organization.

The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children report analyzed data from children aged 11, 13, and 15 across 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Canada.

In the UK, it is against the law for individuals under 18 to buy or drink alcohol. The report, however, indicated that 50 percent of boys and 57 percent of girls aged 13 have consumed alcohol, with over one-third of both 11-year-old boys and girls reporting alcohol consumption.

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Sabina Hulbert, co-principal investigator for HBSC England at the University of Kent, emphasized that English 11 and 13-year-olds reported the highest lifetime alcohol consumption among all surveyed countries. Alarmingly, a majority of 15-year-olds (65 percent of boys and 74 percent of girls) reported having access to alcohol, a banned substance causing long-term harm.

The report highlighted that 23 percent of boys in Scotland reported cannabis use, the highest prevalence among the examined countries. It also noted the growing popularity of e-cigarettes among young people in Britain.