“Talk. They Hear You.”®

Discussion Starter Video Guide
Discussion Starter Video Guide 2

Purpose

This guide serves as a supplement to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 

(SAMHSA) 4-minute “Talk. They Hear You.”® Campaign Discussion Starter Video. 

The video is a resource for communities to engage parents and caregivers on the importance of talking 

with their children from an early age about the dangers associated with underage drinking. Research 

shows that 80 percent of children believe their parents should have a say in whether they drink alcohol or 

not1,2. The Discussion Starter Video highlights parent-to-parent conversations to help inspire parents to talk 

to their children about avoiding alcohol. 

About the Campaign

The goal of SAMHSA’s “Talk. They Hear You.”® Campaign is to reduce underage drinking among youth 

ages 9 to 15 by providing their parents and caregivers with the resources and skills they need to initiate a 

conversation with their children early. The Campaign seeks to

•	 Increase parents’ awareness of the prevalence and risks of underage drinking; 

•	 Equip parents with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to prevent underage drinking; and 

•	 Increase actions by parents to prevent underage drinking.

“Talk. They Hear You.”® is recognized by the National Parent

Teacher Association School of Excellence Program.

1 Jackson, C. (2002). Perceived legitimacy of parental authority and tobacco and alcohol use during early adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31(5), 425–432.

2 Nash, S. G., McQueen, A., and Bray, J. H. (2005). Pathways to adolescent alcohol use: Family environment, peer influence, and parental expectations. Journal of Adolescent Health, 

37(1), 19–28.
Discussion Starter Video Guide 3

SAMHSA developed 5 Conversation Goals for parents and caregivers to talk to their kids about alcohol. 

The goals encourage parents to 

1. Show they disapprove of alcohol;

2. Show they care about their child’s happiness and well-being;

3. Show they’re a good source of information about alcohol;

4. Show they’re paying attention and they will notice if their child drinks; and

5. Build their child’s skills and strategies for avoiding underage drinking.

How You Can Use the Discussion Starter Video in Your Community

The Discussion Starter Video can be used in a variety of ways—such as during a community event, 

parent-teacher night, or other parent or caregiver gatherings—and with different time frames to 

encourage adults to take a greater role in underage drinking prevention. Below are ideas on how you can 

use the video.

Train-the-Trainer Programs—Train school counselors, community leaders, and/or 

parents and caregivers to help educate your community about the risks associated with 

underage drinking. Consider distributing a toolkit with materials such as fact sheets for 

parents, infographics, and digital resources like the Discussion Starter Video.

Community Meetings—You might periodically have meetings with other community 

groups, such as health departments, school districts, and law enforcement agencies if 

you are affiliated with a county- or state-wide prevention network. Use these meetings 

as a forum to share updates and resources on your underage drinking prevention 

efforts. Play the Discussion Starter Video and mention the ways, as outlined on pages 

one and two in this guide, these partners can use the video in their own prevention 

efforts.

Maturation/Graduation Ceremonies (from Elementary to Middle School)—

As elementary school students graduate into the next phase of their education, some 

schools may offer a maturation ceremony for parents and caregivers to attend. Research 

shows that 10 percent of 12-year-olds have tried alcohol. Prepare a presentation for the 

ceremony on underage drinking prevention. Play the Discussion Starter Video before 

your presentation to “break the ice” and get parents and caregivers thinking about if 

they’re doing enough to prevent their children from drinking. 

TALKING TO KIDS

ABOUT ALCOHOL

5 CONVERSATION GOALS

Research shows that parents are 

the #1 reason young people decide 

not to drink. So, start talking to 

your children about alcohol before 

they start drinking—as early as 9 

years old. Even if it doesn’t seem 

like it, they really do hear you. 

Need ideas for a presentation?

Email underage.drinking@samhsa.gov

for a sample presentation you can adapt for your audience. 
Discussion Starter Video Guide 4

Middle School Parent Orientation/Open House or Back-to-School Nights—

If possible, work with school administrators to secure a brief time slot during orientation 

or open house to talk about underage drinking prevention with parents and caregivers. 

For example, you can start by playing the Discussion Starter Video and quickly refer 

parents to other helpful Campaign products like the 5 Conversation Goals handout and 

Mobile Application to encourage them to talk to their children about alcohol early on. 

Use local statistics on underage drinking in your community from local law enforcement 

or health departments to show the importance of this topic. Don’t forget to close your 

remarks by directing parents to the Campaign website at www.underagedrinking.

samhsa.gov for more useful resources. 

PTA Meetings—Coordinate with your school’s PTA to offer a brief update on 

community prevention activities. For instance, consider playing the Discussion 

Starter Video and reference additional products from the Campaign—like the Mobile 

Application and 5 Conversation Goals handout for parents to practice the conversation 

on underage drinking prevention with their kids—during your update. Reference local 

statistics on underage drinking to emphasize the importance of talking to children 

about alcohol. Suggest a follow-up meeting in April to coincide with National Alcohol 

Awareness Month.

Interactive Talks—Use the Discussion Starter Video to illustrate your talk in lieu of a 

presentation. Pause the video at strategic parts for further discussion, including sharing 

local statistics on underage drinking and posing questions for parents. Reference the 

next table in this guide for time markers to pause the video and discussion suggestions. 

At the end of the conversation, direct parents to www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov

for more underage drinking prevention resources. 

Presentation Finale—Use the Discussion Starter Video as a sign off in your 

presentations to help you pivot into Q&A. End by directing your audience to 

www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov for more resources from the Campaign. 

Need to find local statistics on

underage drinking in your community? 

Check with local law enforcement and health agencies. 

Additional SAMHSA resources on the prevalence of underage drinking

are included at the end of this guide.
Discussion Starter Video Guide 5

Tips Based on Time 

The ideas mentioned in this guide can be adapted for different time frames. Below are ideas on how you 

can use the Discussion Starter Video based on the amount of time you have with your audience.

Pause the Video for 

Further Discussion

Share the Video 

With a Presentation

15 minutes or fewer

Stop the video once while playing it for discussion and 

reflection.

Stop at 1:35—After the mom asks “Wow, do you think 

Tim is drinking, too?” pause the video to share local 

statistics on underage drinking in your community.

Play the video before your 

presentation to quickly call attention 

to the topic of underage drinking 

prevention. End your presentation by 

referring parents and caregivers to 

www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov

for more resources.

Email underage.drinking@samhsa.

gov for a sample presentation on 

underage drinking and the “Talk. 

They Hear You.”® Campaign.

16 minutes or more

Stop the video twice while playing it for further 

discussion and reflection.

Stop at 2:16—In the video after the mom says, “This 

situation with Kyle is the perfect opportunity,” pose a 

question to the group, such as, “What would you say to 

your child about underage drinking?”

After discussion, highlight that everyday moments 

together—like eating breakfast, driving to school, or 

walking the dog—are all opportunities to talk about the 

dangers of underage drinking.

Stop at 4:38—After Tim says “Thanks, Dad,” point 

out how the dad in the video went through the 

5 Conversation Goals in his conversation with his son.

Ask the group if they think it’s hard to bring up the 

conversation around underage drinking with their kids, 

and then brainstorm together other realistic or natural 

settings where parents could appropriately bring up the 

topic of underage drinking.

Play the video at the end of your 

presentation as a pivot into group 

discussion and/or questions and 

answers. Encourage parents and 

caregivers to check out other 

Campaign resources, like the 

5 Conversation Goals handout and 

Mobile Application.

Read the goals aloud, or show parents 

how to download the app through 

Windows, Android, and iOS devices. 

Note: a Wi-Fi connection is required 

to download the app.
Discussion Starter Video Guide 6

Additional Resources

The Campaign offers a diverse suite of products for you to use in your community on 

www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov. Below are a few products you can easily pair with the 

Discussion Starter Video: 

•	 Mobile Application—Parents and caregivers may seek advice 

on when and how to talk to their children about alcohol after 

viewing the Discussion Starter Video. Share the “Talk. They Hear 

You.”® mobile application with them, a mobile-friendly tool that 

lets them practice the conversation about underage drinking 

prevention between parent and child computer simulations. 

The app also gives parents and caregivers the ability to unlock 

achievements and view additional resources from the Campaign.

•	 Soundtrack—The “Talk. They Hear You.”® soundtrack is an 

original song from Eren Cannata, Liberty Devitto, Richie Cannata, 

Julio Fernandez, Tony Tino, and Chris Clark. The group was 

inspired to write the soundtrack because of the Campaign’s 

powerful message to parents to talk to their children about 

alcohol from an early age. Use the soundtrack as an introduction 

or closing anthem to your community event on underage 

drinking prevention. 

SAMHSA also produces resources on the prevalence of underage drinking, which may help to localize the 

importance of prevention in your community. 

•	 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)—NSDUH provides national and state-level 

data on the use of tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs (including non-medical use of prescription drugs), 

and mental health in the United States.

•	 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA)—SAMHDA provides raw 

data of the nation’s substance abuse and mental health data, including NSDUH, the National Survey 

of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, and more. 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

877-SAMHSA-7 (877-726-4727)

800-487-4889 (TDD)

underagedrinking.samhsa.gov

HHS Publication No.: (SMA) 15-4755—Discussion Starter Video Guide