i-Dosing: Digital Drugs Pose Huge Threat to Teens
The Internet will never cease to amaze me!
As if it didn’t create enough issues already, parents have something to add to their worry list. Yes, that’s right- a new disturbing trend is on the rise with teens these days and it’s called i-Dosing. These are digital drugs and your kid might be too tempted to try them already!
What the heck?!
When I first came across the term, my instant reaction was, “what the hell!” I mean, seriously, there are digital drugs, too? Apparently, there are! And curious teens are just dying to get their hands on it. But what exactly is this phenomenon called, i-Dosing?
It’s a phenomenon used to refer to the downloadable MP3s that can induce a state of ecstasy akin to the real drugs. So just by listening to these MP3s via a headphone, you’d get high! All you need to get high is to sit all motionless and listen to these MP3s. This can’t get more disturbing
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs is taking up the matter pretty seriously as it involves other hazards, too. Officials fear that curious teens would flock to these sites that could lead them to the real world of narcotics.
The first is always free
As the mechanism of drug dealing goes, the first is always free. And the first track is free, too. Teens are listening to tracks like Gates of Hades and then have to purchase the tracks. These digital drugs bring the same effect as marijuana, cocaine, opium and peyote.
Is that really serious?
Digital or not, drug abuse is one serious concern and it affects so many youngsters, world over. And what’s even more disturbing is that teens lie to their parents about doing drugs and parents believe them. In a San Francisco-based study analyzing 400 teens who took drugs denied taking the drug even when they knew they would be tested for the drug traces. While American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, ACAP, reports that most teens have tried marijuana before their 14th birthday.
What can be done?
While this menacing I-Dosing trend is on the rise, parents need to be even more careful because just keeping a lookout on your child’s whereabouts is not enough. A teen listening to songs online might not appear dangerous or suspecting to you and that’s why it’s more difficult to figure out.
A lot of parents keep a check on their teens’ internet history and this could really come in handy if ever, your child gets tempted to try these digital drugs.
Many parents would simply check the browser history on a shared laptop or PC but since 1 in 4 American teens are mobile-mostly or mobile-only Internet user, you need to make sure you can access their phone browser history as well. And for that, parents could use parental control applications that allow parents to monitor their child’s mobile browser history in detail.
What really matters is that parents need to talk to their kids about i-Dosing and the involved risks thoroughly and be on the lookout for any tell-tale signs.
