"Who is This Kid?" Partnership for a Drug-Free America Launches Digital Effort to Help Parents Grasp Teen Behavior and Connect with their Kids.

New Study Shows Parents Need the Most Help Talking About Drugs and Alcohol as Kids Enter Teen Years

NEW YORK -- For every parent of a teenager who has ever wondered "Who is this kid?" a new web destination, launched today by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, aims to make answering the question a little bit easier. Designed to help parents navigate the confusing, often frustrating teen years, "A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain" translates recent scientific findings that shed light on how brain development shapes teens' behavior and personalities into easy-to-understand tips and tools for parents.

The site, which is live at www.drugfree.org/teenbrain, was created in collaboration with the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia, top scientists and researchers on substance abuse and addiction and Boston-based WGBH, leaders in public broadcasting and educational multimedia.

"A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain" explains how the human brain takes 25 years to fully develop, with the prefrontal cortex - responsible for complex judgment and decision-making - maturing last. Through video, humorous interactive segments, role-playing and advice from experts, parents learn how adolescent brain development explains the "normal" teen behaviors that often confound parents - impulsiveness, rebellion, high emotions and risk-taking - and how to use this new information to connect with their teens.

"Parenting teens is very challenging, but understanding what's going on inside their brains can make it easier to communicate and help teenagers make better decisions," said Ken Winters, senior scientist at the Treatment Research Institute and professor, University of Minnesota Medical School. "The areas of the brain responsible for physical coordination, emotion and motivation mature sooner during adolescence compared to the front region of the brain that is primarily associated with controlling impulses and exercising judgment. This may be why teens are drawn to skateboarding and video games, and it also may help explain why they yell and slam doors. The teenage brain may be more hard-wired to take risks than the mature brain. Parents need to understand that the teenage years is not an optimal time for the best decision making."

The launch of "A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain" coincides with the release of the 20th annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), a survey of parents' attitudes about drugs and alcohol. The 2007 study shows that as kids become teenagers, their parents' need for information and help talking about drugs and alcohol peaks, and parents' confidence in their ability to influence their teens' and tweens' (pre-teens) decisions about drugs and alcohol begins to wane. The 2007 PATS Parents study confirms that:

* The number of parents who report they need more tools and information to help their kids deal with drugs and alcohol jumps 46 percent between 4th-5th grade and 6th-8th grade. (35 percent of 4th-5th grade parents need more information, versus 51 percent of 6th-8th grade parents)

* Parents of 6th-8th graders are more likely to say that their kids are reluctant to talk to them about drugs and alcohol (46 percent) than are parents with children in 4th-5th grades (33 percent).

* Also, 37 percent of 6th-8th grade parents feel they have little influence over their teen or tween's decision to use drugs, versus 26 percent of 4th-5th grade parents who feel the same way.

"As teens and tweens hit the years where they are most at risk for drug and alcohol use, parents report feeling a loss of power and a growing need for help and support," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "It's natural for parents to be frustrated by teens' behavior, but it must not discourage them from monitoring their behavior and from talking about these important issues, not only with their teens, but also with the parents of their children's friends. This new Web site was created to encourage parents to learn what's really going on inside a teen's mind, and how to step in to help teens make good decisions they're not ready to make on their own, whether it's about drugs and alcohol, friends, sex or any other issue teens face today."

"A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain" is the first in a series of interactive products the Partnership will introduce at drugfree.org this year as part of a major new digital effort to champion parents and help them prevent and address drug and alcohol abuse with their kids and in their families.

"As a mother of 3 kids, with one son entering middle school, connecting with him is my greatest priority. In my role as a coach certified for parents, I often encourage other parents to learn how adolescent brain development impacts behavior, especially in the tween and teen years," said Tara Paterson, ACPI[TM] Certified Coach of Parents of Intuitives and author of Raising Intuitive Children (New Page Books, '09). "Fostering an open and loving relationship with our children - regardless of how difficult it is - is of the utmost importance. Parents have much greater influence than they realize, and if they establish strong, open communication early, the challenging transitional years can be easier to navigate."

In order to reach parents who increasingly turn to the internet for information, and driving them to this new destination, the Partnership will be undertaking an aggressive digital media effort. Interactive banner advertising, created pro bono by Avenue A/Razorfish will be used to target parents through several of the Partnership's digital media partners including about.com, oprah.com, prevention.com and si.com.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a nonprofit organization that unites parents, renowned scientists and communications professionals to help families raise healthy children. Best known for its research-based national public education programs, the Partnership motivates and equips parents to prevent their children from using drugs and alcohol, and to find help and treatment for family and friends in trouble. The centerpiece of this effort is an online resource center at drugfree.org, featuring interactive tools that translate the latest science and research on teen behavior, addiction and treatment into easy to understand tips and tools. Research conducted by AP and MTV recently showed that kids see their parents as heroes-- at drugfree.org, parents can connect with each other, tap into expert advice for children of all ages, and find the support they want and need in their role as hero to their kids. The Partnership depends on donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and other contributors. The Partnership thanks SAG/AFTRA, the advertising industry and our media partners for their ongoing generosity.