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(CNN) — They may not be intoxicating, but some authorities argue that non-alcoholic beers and mocktails should not be accessible to minors, advocating for regulations to limit sales to this age group.

The demand for nonalcoholic beverages is on the rise as particularly young adults aim to decrease their alcohol consumption. To qualify as nonalcoholic, these beverages must have an alcohol content of under 0.5% alcohol by volume.

The sober-curious movement has led to the production of packaged nonalcoholic drinks that often mimic the appearance of alcoholic beverages. Examples include Budweiser Zero and a nonalcoholic Corona beer, which is presented in the brand’s distinctive longneck bottle.

“This allows inclusion for many people using these products in social situations,” commented Dr. Molly Bowdring, an instructor at the Stanford Prevention Research Center.

But the products may offer an entry point into drinking culture that some experts are worried could foster unhealthy habits.

Actress Kristen Bell ruffled some feathers last year when she said on a talk show that she lets her daughters — now ages 9 and 11 — drink their dad’s nonalcoholic beer at home.

“They’re unlikely to lead to intoxication, but they contain many of the same cues as alcohol – flavor, look, smell,” said Bowdring, who recently published a commentary on the issue in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

She says there’s emerging evidence that nonalcoholic beverages may prime kids to switch to the real thing.

The research that’s raising eyebrows comes from Japan, Taiwan and Australia.

Surveys of elementary, middle and high school students in Japan, where the legal drinking age is 20, found that 20% to 30% said they were drinking nonalcoholic beverages. Additional studies in Japan found that elementary school students who said they drank nonalcoholic drinks were more interested in drinking alcohol than those who said they didn’t have these kinds of beverages.

Nonalcoholic beverage use in junior high and high school was linked to the likelihood that a person had had alcohol in the previous 30 days.

In Taiwan, where the legal drinking age is 18, high schoolers who said they drank nonalcoholic beverages were more likely than those who didn’t to express an intention to drink alcohol.

In Australia, where the legal drinking age is 18, researchers conducted focus groups and surveyed teens ages 15 to 17 about the use of what they called zero-alcohol beverages. They found that more than a third had tried zero-alcohol drinks, and more than 1 in 5 were drinking them at least monthly. In the survey, teens who said they had tried zero-alcohol drinks were 2.5 times more likely to have also drunk alcohol compared with those who’d never had them.

Dr. Leon Booth, a research policy fellow at the George Institute for Global Health in New South Wales, Australia, said teens appear to be drinking these for a mix of reasons. Some were just curious about new products and tried them but didn’t drink them frequently. Others, though, said they had used zero-alcohol drinks to fit in with older friends who were drinking.

“They are effectively role-playing drinking when they choose a zero-alcohol version of an alcoholic product, instead of a regular soft drink or something else obviously not alcoholic,” Booth wrote in an email.

“In the focus group discussions, a few teens mentioned they had gotten used to the taste of beer by drinking zero alcohol versions, which suggests that zero alcohol beverages can acclimatise young people to the taste of alcoholic beer,” he added.

The Distilled Spirits Council, representing alcohol manufacturers, insists that nonalcoholic drinks resembling alcoholic beverages should not be used by children and teenagers.

“Non-alcoholic drinks that replicate alcohol branding are intended for adults, and many alcohol producers have committed to voluntarily indicate age restrictions on such products,” stated Lisa Hawkins, spokesperson for the council, via email. The council has not adopted a stance regarding government-required age limits.

Bowdring mentioned that there is minimal research on the prevalence of these nonalcoholic drinks among American youth, but she is currently conducting a survey. She reached out to officials across all 50 states and the District of Columbia to inquire about regulations concerning the sale of nonalcoholic drinks, finding that most states, including California, have no regulations.

According to Bowdring, twelve states mildly restrict sales of nonalcoholic beverages to minors, though these rules seem to be more accidental than deliberate.

“My read of the situation, having talked to a lot of folks, is that there weren’t specific laws or policies written in for nonalcoholic beverages, but rather their definition of alcohol simply encompassed nonalcoholic beverages,” she said.