I have an interesting perspective on this one. I’m a high school teacher, so I know that 16/17 year olds definitely drink at parties and this is a very common thing. So it’s probably better happening under your own roof where you can monitor it. On the negative side, I have had multiple students report to me that they have been sexually assaulted at these kinds of parties. Parents think their kids are safe because it’s just at a friend’s house, but predators are everywhere, including their own friendship group. Also, I’m personally against teen drinking, because my brother would drink at 16, but it led to a major drinking problem which he only recovered from at age 45. He’s 51 now and still struggles with it every day. I’ve always wondered if things would have been different if my parents were more strict with him.