In more than 40 years of tracking today’s adolescents are smoking and drinking less and doing fewer drugs than their predecessors. Some researchers speculate this may be a positive side effect of video games and social media. It keeps kids busy and away from peer pressure to use alcohol and illicit drugs. We do not often celebrate the good and positive attributes of this generation of adolescents. But this type of discovery is something we want to emphasize, emulate and recognize. Teenagers need to hear we are proud of them! Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, texting and video games are a far better use of time than what previous generations of teens were doing in their free time!
