GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Do you know where your kids are? Are they gambling online?
A poll from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital found that one in six parents said they probably wouldn't know if their teen was gambling online. . More than half said they could definitely tell if their teen was gambling online, and 2% said they believed their teen was gambling online.
The National Council on Problem Gambling 2021 survey It is estimated that 60% to 80% of high school students admit to gambling for money in the previous year, and approximately 4% to 6% of high school students have a gambling problem.
Even though most states to gamble online, such as Michigan, require you to be at least 21 years old, there are many loopholes for teens to bet online, Michigan Health University said in a release.
“Parents may be underestimating their teens' interests and knowledge,” Mott Paul co-director Sarah Clark, MPH, said in a release. “Online gambling can be difficult to detect because teens can easily log in on smartphones and other personal devices, delete search history, hide apps, and use them discreetly. there is.”
The poll surveyed 923 parents of at least one teenager between the ages of 14 and 18, and two-thirds said their teenager had their own bank account, debit card, or credit card. respondents said their teens may be gambling online without their parents' knowledge.
Online gambling is also similar to games that teenagers are accustomed to playing, such as fantasy football leagues.
“Many of the online gambling options will be familiar to teenagers,” Clark says. “Including features like bonus points and perks, it feels like the games kids used to play on their phones. Its familiarity makes it easy for teens to play for fun and for money. It may be difficult to understand the difference between playing.
One in four parents surveyed said they had talked to their teens about virtual gambling. Clark said parents should have those conversations and explain how online gambling sites are trying to get people to place bets.
