When it comes to alcohol, marijuana and other drugs, kids are becoming far too educated on how to make, obtain and “get high on” a variety of dangerous substances, via the internet. While most parents say they recognize these potential risks, the majority of kids say their parents are not regularly monitoring their Website whereabouts or their time spent in cyberspace. And nearly one-third of youth surveyed say their parents would “disapprove” if they really knew what they were doing online (2).

Make your family values known and set clear rules to safeguard your tween:

• Monitor (and limit) Websites visited and amount of time spent online 
• Discuss what is and what is not acceptable for sharing, viewing and downloading
• Investigate your child’s social networking sites (Facebook/MySpace)
• Be aware of pictures/postings (incoming and outgoing) with references to alcohol, drugs and other risky behaviors
• Let your child know you will randomly spot-check their text messages for unknown numbers and inappropriate conversations (Know that kids will warn each other if a parent is looming - for example, POS = parent over shoulder or P911 = parent alert)
• Listen to your child’s music choices (iPod, MP3, etc) to see if they’re hearing pro-drug or other unhealthy messages

Remember, you are your child’s greatest influence. It’s your right and responsibility as a parent to be a part of their everyday world, including their technology world.

For more tween-texting lingo visit www.netlingo.com, click on Top 50 Acronyms Parents Need To Know.

(1)"Teen Viewing of Drug and Alcohol-Related Videos Online: Custom Study Conducted on behalf of the Office of National Drug Control Policy." Nielsen Online, June 2008. (2) “The Tru Study.” Tru.Cox Communications Teen Internet Safety, 2006. Parents.The Anti-Drug: Teens and Technology, 2010.