Asking kids about drugs doesn’t prompt drug use, study finds

A University of Washington study has found that asking preteens about substance use doesn’t prompt them to try alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Credit: Lexie Flickinger/Flickr

It is an oft-repeated fear, particularly among parents: that discussing an undesirable behavior, or even an illegal or dangerous one, may encourage kids to try it.

But when it comes to asking pre-teens about alcohol, drug and tobacco use, a University of Washington-led study finds no evidence that children will, as a consequence of being asked about it, use the substance in question.

The study by the UW Social Development Research Group, published in the October issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, focused on school-based surveys of fifth- and sixth-graders to determine whether their behaviors changed over time. The research team found that, among two groups of students—one surveyed in fifth and sixth grade, and a control group surveyed only in sixth…

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