A new study by Sydney University has found our teens consume ‘alarming’ amounts of sugar.

Three-quarters of Aussie teens exceed the World Health Organisation’s guidelines for daily sugar intake.

And before you start blaming the youth of today, adults aren’t any better! 50% of all Australians are eating more than the recommended daily intake of added sugars.

Most of this added sugar is coming from soft drinks and junk food – food that should only be treats, but that we’re actually eating far too often. Sugar-sweetened drinks are one of the main culprits, particularly for teenagers. A third of all the added sugar that adolescents consume comes from soft drinks.

These scary new stats have been released just days after a sugar tax was passed in the UK, which targets sugar-added soft drinks. There have been calls for Australia to follow the UK’s lead, and introduce a similar tax. And we bet they’ll be especially loud after this report!

The research also found that Aussie eating habits haven’t changed much in the last 20 years. That’s despite there being plenty more information and education around the dangers of excess sugar. It seems that most Australians just aren’t listening.

Read more: Does Australia need a soft drink tax?