Metro Morning7:04Can you addiction-proof your kids? CBC Producer Antonia Reed looks into it
With experts warning of the health risks of consuming alcohol, parents searching for strategies to keep their teenagers from drinking excessively or at all have lots of options, according to a leading Canadian addiction specialist.
And because there’s a genetic component to alcoholism and substance-use disorder, this can be an important and reassuring message for families to hear.
“For some people it feels like the deck is stacked against them…. But there’s actually a lot people can do,” said Dr. Alexander Caudarella, CEO of the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, the organization that led the initiative to update Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines.
“These might be things like if you can have a good relationship in your family, if you can have good communication, if you’re going to school and succeeding in school, if you have a good friend group around you, but also things like eating well, [and] sleeping well.”
Not everyone who has the genetic predisposition for developing an addiction will end up with one, he said.
Dr. Alexander Caudarella is CEO of the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, the organization that led the initiative to update Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines. (Nadia Molinari)
But having a history of alcoholism in your family does increase your chances of passing it on to your children.
What are the risk factors for alcoholism and substance use disorder?
That’s something Jessica Lahey worried about with her own kids, who were 9 and 14 when she realized she was an alcoholic and stopped drinking in 2013.
“My first thought when I got sober was, OK, well, I’m the child of an alcoholic who was the child of an alcoholic … and then, same thing on my husband’s side of the family. And so immediately, I’m like, oh my gosh, how do I make this stop with me?” she said.
Lahey, a U.S.-based journalist and educator, set out to answer this question in her book The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence.
“Genetics is about 50 to 60 per cent of the risk picture,” she said.
But it’s also environmental factors such as the death of a parent, a family member being incarcerated, physical or sexual abuse, or divorce or separation, she said.
“We’re really talking about toxic stress, not like normal everyday stress, but toxic, ongoing chronic stress that causes cortisol levels to go up and just causes our bodies to go into lock into that sort of disaster mode for longer periods of time,” said Lahey.
While parents can’t shield their children from all forms of adversity, therapy, for example, can lessen the impact of that stress, she said.
And there are other strategies that families can use to reduce the chances a teenager will develop a drinking problem.
After confronting her own relationship with alcohol, author and journalist Jessica Lahey was concerned about her children’s risk for alcoholism. She explores the research around how parents can guard against substance-use disorder in her book The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. (Sharona Jacobs)
Don’t allow underage drinking in the home
One tip she had for parents is to not allow any underage drinking at home.
“We know that parents that have a consistent and clear message of ‘no, not until it’s legal for you’ … have kids with far lower rates of substance-use disorder than parents who have a permissive stance on alcohol consumption or drug consumption under age.”
She also said that parents who give their children sips of beer or wine to teach them healthy drinking habits at an early age are on the wrong track.
And she’s not alone in this stance.
Dr. Caudarella said delaying that first drink might be a good idea, particularly if someone has a family history of substance-use disorder.
“If somebody would have started at the age of 15 and instead they try for the first time at the age of 17, their risk of developing problems with that is already significantly lower,” he said.
But keeping teenagers away from alcohol is not as simple as telling them not to drink.
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Make it a ‘morally neutral topic’
In fact, according to registered psychotherapist Louise Gleeson, that strategy might backfire.
Gleeson is the mother of four children between the ages of 13 and 21.
She doesn’t drink and hasn’t for more than a decade, but she said she doesn’t impose any negative feelings she might have about alcohol on her kids.
Registered psychotherapist Louise Gleeson, who is also a mother of four children between the ages of 13 and 21, says it’s important for parents not to bring their own judgements about alcohol or drugs to the table when they discuss the topic with their kids. (Lisa Tullett)
Instead she said, it’s important for parents not to bring their own judgments about alcohol or drugs to the table.
Make it a “morally neutral topic,” otherwise you are going to “close that door so hard,” she said.
“We risk having our children have the perception about themselves, that if they choose to engage or get curious about using substances, they are viewed by their own parents as being bad. And when that happens, in order to keep the attachment with their parent, they will keep it secret.”
And you want your teenagers to be able to turn to you when their friends are doing things that make them uncomfortable or unsafe, she said.
Lahey’s new book The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. (Harper)
Communication is key
Parenting skills like the ones Gleeson described may be key to helping families mitigate the risk that young people will develop a problem with alcohol or drugs, said Dr. Caudarella.
In fact, some of the best addiction prevention strategies don’t even involve talking about substances.
For example, there are programs that take children as young as seven, along with their parents, and teach them communication skills.
“When they look 10 years later, there can be as much as a 50 per cent reduction of the number of people initiated substance use by the time they’re Grade 12.”
Limiting kids’ exposure to alcohol advertising is also a good idea, he said.
Research from the U.K. compares the cancer risks between cigarettes and alcohol as equivalent to one drink per cigarette for men and double that for women. (New Africa/Shutterstock)
Don’t worry about ADHD meds
Dr. Caudarella says parents of kids who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder often ask him if they should be especially concerned about their kids’ risk.
“People come in and say ‘you know what, my family is at risk of having substance use disorder issues. Is it safe for my kid to be on ADHD medications?” he said.
They worry that taking the stimulants are often prescribed for the disorder could lead to addiction.
But he said the opposite is true.
“What we know is that the kids who are properly diagnosed with ADHD and were put on those medications have a much less likely future of developing substance use disorders. And that’s because those medications are really effective at helping them do better in school and thrive and succeed.”
Ultimately, Caudarella said, the parents who know they have a family history of alcoholism and are aware of the risks are in the best position to deal with them head on.
“I actually think those kinds of parents can make the best parents because they’re so conscientious and careful about it.”
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
