If you’re a parent, you probably grew up in the days when marijuana was a popular drug of choice among teens. More than likely you are familiar with all the other drugs that were around when you were a kid, like cocaine, meth, and others. You may be using your own knowledge to talk to your kids about drugs to keep them from the dangers that illegal drugs can represent. However, what you may not be aware of is a new craze among today’s teens – digital drugs. Is this for real? Yes, it actually is. Today, with the technology of the internet at their fingertips, many teens are getting involved in what is known as i-dosing. Here is a closer look at this threat to your children, which can be just as dangerous as taking real drugs. As a parent, you need to be informed about this so you can keep your kids from getting involved in something that could take them on into real world narcotics.
How Does I-Dosing Work?
What are the Risks of I-Dosing?
So, what are the risks to digital drugs? Are there really risks to something your kids listen to on the internet? Yes, there are some real risks that you need to consider as a parent. Although some experts do not believe that these tracks really later the brain and some feel that this is not a real danger, the problem is that kids who are exploring these areas of digital drugs may start exploring other types of drugs, such as marijuana, meth, or cocaine. At this point it is not really proven whether these tracks can truly make you high, but you need to look beyond that to the thinking behind your child using these tracks in the first place. The biggest concern here is that experimenting with digital drugs will lead to experimentation with other drugs in the future. In fact, these concerns have the Bureau of Narcotics in Oklahoma putting out warnings to parents about i-dosing and the affects that it can have on kids.
Looking for the Signs
Since this is something you definitely want to nip in the bud, you need to know what to look for so you can figure out whether your child is experimenting with digital drugs. The problem here is that it can be tough to crack down on this because it is so easy for kids to have access to i-dosing tracks. All they need is a computer with the internet and a set of headphones. In fact, some tracks can even be downloaded to their iPod. What you should be looking for in your child is a desire to constantly be online listening to “music” through their headphones. If you notice this happening all the time and then notice your child is in an altered state of mind, perhaps laughing and shaking uncontrollably, they may be involved with these digital drugs. Some i-dosers become extremely hyper or incredibly happy after listening to the tracks, so watch out for this as well.
What Parents Can Do
There are some things that you can do as a parent to help keep your child from becoming involved in the digital drug realm online. First, be aware of what sites your kids are visiting and the music that they are listening too. Parental controls on a computer can be set to block these sites. You also should be asking your kids from time to time what music they are listening to. Take an interest so you know what is going on in their life. You also may want to approach this topic with your child. Talk to them about digital drugs and the real dangers that are out there if they get involved in i-dosing. Kids need to understand how dangerous this can be, since most sites proclaim to kids that this is totally safe for them.
Although it may seem incredulous that kids are now getting high online, it appears that it truly is happening today. You need to be well informed as a parent so you can spot any problems with your own children. Keep your eyes open for some of the warning signs in your own child and always keep communication open between you and your child. This way they can come to you about questions they may have and you can talk to them about things that are dangerous to them, such as starting out with digital drugs.