If you have not been monitoring your child's internet use and are not a friend of your child on Facebook, you should be.  There is good reason to know what your child is viewing while online or plugged in to Facebook or other social networking sites. Just check out this latest report:

A recent study found that 40% of youth have viewedpictures of kids getting drunk, passed out, or using drugs on Facebook, Myspace, or other social networking sites. A whopping 90% of these kids were 15 years of age or younger.   One in ten kids were 10 to 11 years of age.  A previous study indicated that alcohol-related content on Facebook is easily accessible by those under the age of 21.

Take a peek at what your child is watching and who they are talking to on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube and other social networking sites. The more exposed young people are to these images and behaviors, the more likely they are to view them as normal and acceptable, and therefore, more likely to try them.  As a parent or guardian, you have the power to safeguard your child against risky behaviors such as alcohol and drug use.   

SOURCE:  Adapted by CESAR from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents, August 2011. Available online at http://www.casacolumbia.org/download.aspx?path=/UploadedFiles/ooc3hqnl.pdf.