Like many parents, Ritchie Hewett takes the view that banning something only increases its appeal.

He prefers to trust his daughter Eartha, who is turning 16 next month, to act responsibly.

"It's much better to be reasonable and have an open and rational discussion," Ritchie says. "It's just a part of life."

The Year 10 student is welcome to have a drink at home, but chooses not to, and is allowed to enjoy a few drinks out with her friends if parents are around.

Eartha says her friends with stricter parents are more likely to go overboard.

She, on the other hand, doesn't want to disappoint her dad and says she feels comfortable to ring him if a bad situation arises, such as one party she attended when the police were called.

"I tell my dad almost everything," she says. "He'd be upset if I got blackout drunk but it's OK if I have a few drinks."

The Hewetts' approach seems to be working for them, but recent research suggests parents should have a zero tolerance approach to teens and alcohol to lower the chance of risky drinking into adulthood.

"The best policy is no drinking alcohol during adolescence," Professor George Patton says. "The evidence on this is becoming far clearer."

The Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol also recommend that for young people under 18 no alcohol is the safest option.

Professor Patton, who is an adolescent health expert at the University of Melbourne, accepts the majority of teens drink alcohol before the legal age they can buy it at 18.

But he says below age 16, the strongest message parents should give is not to drink at all.

In the case of teens between 16 or 18, who are already drinking, allowing a couple of drinks at home or at parties with strict parental supervision is acceptable, he says.

However, teens who drink at parks or on beaches without supervision are more likely to develop problematic drinking, leading to a range of health and social concerns.

Professor Patton says parents shouldn't hesitate to ring other parents to make sure they will be home.

"It's that kind of message to your adolescents that's important," he says. "It can be powerful."

But how realistic is this approach?

Although Professor Patton accepted his recommendations were not common practice in many Australian homes, a stricter approach is where we should be headed, he said.

Parents should sit down with teens to work out ground rules, he said.

For those rare teens who kept binge drinking, parents should seek advice from a doctor who specialises in addictions.

Although Ritchie, who is a marriage celebrant, was "incredibly surprised" other parents bought their children alcohol to bring to a party held at his Balwyn home last year, he said it was almost inevitable that teens would try to sneak in their own alcohol to parties.

Eartha tells of friends who are heavy drinkers bringing "goon bags" (cask wine bladders) in their backpacks to parties.

"It is a reality that some kids can come in with booze, [but] I trust that [Eartha] will be able to make the best decision in her best interests and that she knows the dangers in that," Ritchie says.