Just don't bring the kids. For many kids, media consumption is a full-time job. They're spending up to 40 hours a week plugged in to some form of entertainment - television, movies, the Internet, CDs. Researchers say it's unclear whether watching people smoke, drink or do drugs causes a child to take up the behavior. For starters watch or listen to what your kids are tuned in to, and encourage them to think critically about the content.
Evidence shows that kids in that age group want to hear from their parents.
After that time, a parent's influence goes down markedly. That leads to more isolated, uncommented upon media consumption. With teens under pressure to look and perform their best, the use of anabolic steroids is on the rise. Despite serious side effects, steroid use has jumped substantially in recent years, particularly among girls and athletes. Most troubling, experts say, is NIDA's finding that while steroid use is going up, knowledge of the drugs' risks is decreasing.