Are Leaving Cert foreign holidays an incentive too far?

I collected my Leaving Cert results way back in 1987. Memories of that morning came flooding back today when I saw images of overjoyed teenagers all over social media sites.

I know I sound like an old curmudgeon but our celebrations were a little more muted and innocent than what you see today. A group of us boarded a DART to Howth and tried our luck in some of the local pubs, with mixed results. Frustratingly, I had just turned 18 but still found it hard to get served. Not surprisingly, the girls fared better than the lads thanks to the transformative power of makeup.

The upside was that I had a part-time job in the St Lawrence Hotel, home to the legendary Good Time Charlie's nightclub. Staff were permitted free entry on Thursday nights. The doorman was a neighbour of mine and turned a blind eye to the 'over 21s' policy for the night that was in it. I was home by 2am and slept till the afternoon the next day. Pretty lame, as kids today would put it.

•Life's a beach: should we allow our teenagers to go on holidays unsupervised? PIC POSED

Things are different now. For many Leaving Cert graduates, a foreign holiday with their mates, without parental supervision, is the norm. Perhaps the lure of a trip abroad helps keep them motivated through those difficult months of intensive studying. But is it sensible to give a teenager such unrestricted freedom?

Even before the recent controversy surrounding the hellhole that is Magaluf came to light, I had serious reservations about the post-Leaving Cert holiday trend. While not every resort has such a seedy reputation, allowing teenagers to celebrate the end of their exams or results in another country is a risky move.

Even 'sensible' kids can go off the rails when exposed to cheap drink, excess sun and the prospect of no-strings attached holiday sex. It's a potent mix. To an impressionable teenager on holiday with their peers, this type of temptation can throw up many potential dangers: alcohol poisoning, drownings, exposure to drugs, unplanned pregnancies, STDs ... take your pick.

While most of these risks can as easily present themselves at home, young people are often in fear of being caught by their parents. Such a deterrent does not exist when they are abroad, making them more likely to engage in uncharacteristic, reckless behaviour.

I'm of the view that a 17 or 18-year-old does not have the emotional maturity to navigate the hazards presented by a foreign holiday. Sitting the Leaving Certificate remains one of the most trying times of a young person's life. Even many university graduates will attest that it remains the most difficult exam they ever had to face.

Parents will understandably want to dangle a carrot during the difficult two years preceding the Leaving Cert and reward their children for the hard work and effort. There are other ways to do this: give them money; put them on your car insurance policy; bring them on a shopping spree; organise a party etc.

But I believe that allowing teenagers the freedom of an unsupervised foreign holiday is perhaps an incentive too far. It's not enough just to trust them. Protecting your children should always take precedent over pleasing them.