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Parent Power

Article Critique
Christina Rispoli
Unit 7; Article 62
“Parent Power.”
1.   The main point of the article.
This article claims that the greatest prevention method to keep kids from using drugs is parental support.   They say that the involvement of parents or families is essential, for example family dinners, for kid to not use and that parents cannot rely on law or school officials to do it for them.  

2. Three facts or opinions to support the main point.

“Since 2002, the proportion of middle schoolers who ay that drug are used, kept or sold in their schools is up by a stunning 47 percent, and the proportion of high schoolers attending schools with drugs is up from 41 percent..”   F

“The point is that a child’s sense of morality, which most 12- to 17-year olds acquire from parents, and a clear appreciation of parental disapproval are far more powerful incentives to stay drug free..”   O

“Most teens say legal retrictions have no impact on their decision to smoke cigarettes (58 percent) or drink alcohol (54 percent).”   F

3. Major instances of faulty reasoning or missing information.
First of all, they provide a lot of statistics to show that drug use is increasing in our country among teens and that it is easier for them to acquire but their information on how it relates to parental involvement   is not very valid and based on post hoc reasoning.   The article argues that teens who see more rated R movies are much more likely to use drugs, alcohol, and marijuana due to the lack of monitoring.   This is the author pairing statistics to prove their point.   There could be a third variable here like maybe the adolescent isn’t involved in any extracurricular activities and has more time on their hands.
Also, the conclusions they make with regards to family dinners and attending religious services are completely post hoc.   There is no causal relationship between these things.
I think it is important to point out the fact that the author claims parental...