Daily roundup: Underage drinking, Universal Credit concerns, children's diets

Children should be banned from drinking alcohol until they turn 18, a report by the European Parliament’s working group on quality of childhood has recommended. Traditional approaches such as introducing youths to the taste of alcohol to encourage moderation are dangerous and don't work, said the committee. The report's author, Dr Aric Sigman, fears early exposure to alcohol puts young people at heightened risk of developing addiction or depression, reports the Metro.

A joint report from the TUC and Child Poverty Action Group has found nine out of 10 families will gain nothing overall from the new Universal Credit system, with any gains wiped out by recent benefits cuts. They claim that disabled claimants in low-paid jobs could lose as much as £2,800 a year through the government's flagship welfare reform. They also told The Independent that requiring applicants to claim online and to make joint claims with their partners would complicate the process.