The common assumption with teens that are smoking or using alcohol or drugs is that the parents don't know what's going on. But a recent study has found that, in fact, nearly 3/4 of parents do know what their teens are doing.

"For a six-month reporting period, 82 percent of parents accurately evaluated the presence of teen cigarette smoking; the parents' reports corresponded with the teens' reports of their own smoking. Eighty-six percent of parents accurately evaluated the presence of teen alcohol use and 86 percent accurately reported the presence of teen marijuana use. However, only 72 percent of the parents in the RIA study accurately reported the presence of illicit drug use (other than marijuana) by teens."

The report sharply contrasts the prevailing belief that teen activity is not monitored or noticed by parents. The study did find, however, that parents were less likely to be aware of the activities of younger teens (14 or 15 years of age), and were also less aware if they were caught up with issues of their own like depression or substance abuse.

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Labels: communication, influences, parents