Data, data, data. Good data is essential for creating interventions that help youth grow up in the most healthy and life-affirming way possible.
Another benefit of well-collected data is that it lets us talk about charged topics with our kids with a more neutral attitude making for more productive interactions.
Interactive data is better than regular data, and I have just that today! No matter your age, stick with me on this one and keep reading.
Today, I am sharing data about drug use and teens. As I have stated in multiple ways, be it film, past blogs, and podcasts, the intersection of screen time and teens' attitudes and decisions around substance use is profound. Given the bombardment of substance-promoting messages online, we do a great service when we spend time discussing substances with our youth.
I want to share important findings from the research team at the University of Michigan in their latest Monitoring the Future report. Since 1975, they have been doing anonymous, nationally representative surveys of 8th, 10th, and 12th-grade students on many topics, the bulk of which centers on substance use.
Here is how this interactive data is perfect for talking about substance use, including alcohol, with youth in your life, be it your child, your students, you name it.
You will see that rates of use of many substances, including alcohol, have fallen over the years. This is great news. And yet, we still have a ways to go.
Why have rates fallen? There are many reasons, such as public health campaigns, to educate on the risks of things like alcohol. Other reasons include teens getting together in person and less due to our tech revolution. Other things include stricter access. And other reasons worth contemplating with youth.
Another important thing about this data is that it gives youth a sense of true norms. Let's say they are in 10th grade and are smoking weed. With the data, they see that the majority of teens their age do not do so. Such information can influence a person’s decisions around use.
One other point I want to cover is the findings in the annual report.
This is the first year the survey has included Delta-8 THC, a psychoactive substance. While Delta-9 THC is known for its psychoactive effects in cannabis, Delta-8 THC, which is also psychoactive, can be derived from hemp. Hemp is federally legal, raising concerns that access to Delta-8 products might be easier for teenagers compared to traditional cannabis. Typically found in small quantities, Delta-8 is often synthesized from hemp.
In the report, 11.4% of 12th graders reported past-year delta-8 THC use in 2023. Thus, this topic warrants discussion.
I found on this quote on The National Institute of Drug Abuse’s website:
“… research has reported a dramatic rise in overdose deaths among teens between 2010 to 2021, which remained elevated well into 2022 according to a NIDA analysis of CDC and Census data. This increase is largely attributed to illicit fentanyl, a potent synthetic drug, contaminating the supply of counterfeit pills made to resemble prescription medications.”
Please make sure to talk with youth about this point as well! In Screenagers Under The Influence, we address this topic through a powerful story.
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Data, data, data. Good data is essential for creating interventions that help youth grow up in the most healthy and life-affirming way possible.
Another benefit of well-collected data is that it lets us talk about charged topics with our kids with a more neutral attitude making for more productive interactions.
Interactive data is better than regular data, and I have just that today! No matter your age, stick with me on this one and keep reading.
Today, I am sharing data about drug use and teens. As I have stated in multiple ways, be it film, past blogs, and podcasts, the intersection of screen time and teens' attitudes and decisions around substance use is profound. Given the bombardment of substance-promoting messages online, we do a great service when we spend time discussing substances with our youth.
I want to share important findings from the research team at the University of Michigan in their latest Monitoring the Future report. Since 1975, they have been doing anonymous, nationally representative surveys of 8th, 10th, and 12th-grade students on many topics, the bulk of which centers on substance use.
Here is how this interactive data is perfect for talking about substance use, including alcohol, with youth in your life, be it your child, your students, you name it.
You will see that rates of use of many substances, including alcohol, have fallen over the years. This is great news. And yet, we still have a ways to go.
Why have rates fallen? There are many reasons, such as public health campaigns, to educate on the risks of things like alcohol. Other reasons include teens getting together in person and less due to our tech revolution. Other things include stricter access. And other reasons worth contemplating with youth.
Another important thing about this data is that it gives youth a sense of true norms. Let's say they are in 10th grade and are smoking weed. With the data, they see that the majority of teens their age do not do so. Such information can influence a person’s decisions around use.
We all want good news — contrary to mainstream news, which focuses on all that is going wrong, we humans want and need a healthy dose of daily good news, right? I bet you agree, and thank you for reading this blog, which is focused on good news (including news about love). A week ago, I was on a stage, on a panel, in front of many Attorney General at their yearly national conference, and I said these words: “I am optimistic.”
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In the news, podcasts, social media, and shows, there is a lot of talk about magic mushrooms, aka “shrooms,” and their potential benefits through their psychoactive component called psilocybin. For example, people talk about how consuming mushrooms can create life-changing experiences in full or microdoses. In addition, there is a lot of buzz about the important research being done to uncover potential medical applications. However, what concerns me is that all these media outlets often fail to address the risks of psychedelics and ways to prevent such risks. I’ve written this blog to offer an effective way to talk to teens about these risks, knowing that such conversations can be tricky.
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The moment we talk about drugs and the brain, it is common for teens to say to themselves, “There goes those adults saying we are frying our brains by just smoking some weed.” For my latest film, I was thrilled to find neuroscientist Dr. Yasmin Hurd and her cutting-edge research to explain in a calm, direct, convincing way without resorting to scare tactics. Watch with your kids a captivating 3-minute clip from the film where Dr. Hurd explains the most current research on brain development and the effects of exposure to the chemical THC, the psychoactive component of weed.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
