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Study finds link between teen alcohol and computer use

By Staff Writer

According to a recent study by Weill Cornell Medical College, teens who drink alcohol tend to spend more time on their computers for social networking as well as downloading and listening to music than other youths who do not drink.

Surveying teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17, the study found that youths who drank in the last month used a computer for more hours per week than teens who did not drink.

Jennifer Epstein, a professor at the college, said that there are many possibilities for the results. Perhaps teens who drink are also more prone to experimenting with various internet activities, she said. Additionally, there may be a positive correlation between the amount of web advertisements for alcohol that youths see and how likely they are to drink. A similar possibility is that teens see images of their peers drinking on websites such as Facebook and they believe that they should do it too.

Gil Botvin, a college professor, said that this study should show parents that the internet and other media forms do influence teens' behavior.

Parents who believe that their teens are experimenting with alcohol use may want to consider enrolling them in a therapeutic boarding school.

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