Substance abuse and treatment experts have studied trends and factors that influence our young people for decades. Good things have come from this although solutions for decreasing drug abuse trends have yet to be forthcoming. One example of useful information resulting from surveys and trends that has been determined, particularly by emergency responders is that dangerous incidents involving school aged children occur between 3 pm and 5:30- 6pm in the evening. This is, of course, is when school kids are unsupervised and have idle time on their hands.
Many interested parties developed after school programs either at school or via the television. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) began after school specials by producing made for television movies in 1972. These movies usually dealt with social and potentially controversial issues designed to educate while occupying the time of school kids. CBS had a similar program airing various televisions specials and cartoons. Obviously this was a prime time for advertisers to target products aimed at this age group as well.
This week CASA – better known as The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse affiliated with Columbia University released a new study called the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents. The results showed teenage school kids who consistently used social networking sites were five times more likely to smoke, drink or abuse drugs, compared to teens that typically do not spend time using social media networking sites.
Researchers determined due to kids posting pictures of themselves or friends while passed out, drunk or high on drugs, abusing drugs of course seemed very attractive and harmless. While this could definitely be a major contributing factor in substance abuse in teens, idle time again is at play here. As for someone who has educated over 130,000 people in six states and helped thousands into rehab in my experience boredom is the biggest common denominator in kids taking part in any kind of substance abuse.
I would like know that what the other activities of the teens who did not participate in social media? Were they involved in sports or some other kind of school activity? Where were their parents? And how involved were parents in both sets of kids? These pieces of data should be taken into consideration as well, but as I mentioned earlier each of these studies can produce important pieces of information and solutions to the drug problem.
As a result of this recent study experts are calling on social media websites to place restrictions on kids who post pictures of themselves abusing drugs, passed out or taking part in any kind of illegal activity. This will go a long way in helping to eliminate once source of promotion of substance. Finding activities that would create an interest in some project of hobby to alleviate boredom while providing positive role models would as well.
