Talking to your kid about drugs and vaping online

A blocked drugs site is usually curiosity, not a crisis. What FamilyProtect can do is block the shops and the forums. What it cannot do is have the conversation, and with drugs the conversation is the part that actually protects your child.

What counts as drugs?

Sites that promote or sell illegal drugs, forums about taking them, and retailers selling vapes, nicotine, and alcohol to young people. FamilyProtect groups these under Drugs on your Blocked sites page, in the Serious level.

Vaping is the one most parents underestimate. The products are cheap, bright, fruit-flavoured, and advertised in exactly the places children spend time.

Why is it risky for kids?

The obvious answer is health, and it is true, but it is also the argument children have heard most and believe least.

The sharper risks are these. Nicotine dependence forms faster in an adolescent brain than an adult one, and vaping is the most common route into it. Online drug forums normalise use and hand out dosing advice that is often wrong. And what is sold online is frequently not what it claims to be, which is how a curious child ends up taking something far stronger than they intended.

Does FamilyProtect block it?

Yes. Drug and vape retailers, and sites promoting drug use, are blocked before the page loads, on every protected device. Windows today, macOS and Linux coming soon.

Your child sees a clean block page, with no accusation and no message that a parent was notified.

Be honest with yourself about the limit. A filter blocks websites. Most dealing now happens inside messaging and social apps, where no DNS filter can reach. Treat a blocked site as a prompt to talk, not as proof you have the problem covered.

What should I do if I see it?

Find out what is going on before deciding what it means. Song lyrics, a school project, a documentary, a friend’s dare, and genuine curiosity all produce the same entry on your Blocked sites page.

Do not lead with an accusation you might have to walk back. If you get it wrong, you have taught your child that being honest with you is risky.

Watch for a pattern rather than an event, and pay more attention to changes in mood, sleep, money, and friendships than to a single blocked address.

How do I talk to my child about it?

Ask first. Tell second. Children know more than parents assume, and much of what they know is wrong.

• “A vape site got blocked on your PC. You are not in trouble. What do people at school actually say about vaping?”
• “What do you already know about it? I would rather hear your version than give you a lecture.”
• “The thing that worries me is not the rule. It is that what gets sold is often not what it says on the label.”
• “If you or a friend ever got into trouble with something, could you tell me? What would stop you?”

That last question is the useful one. The answer tells you what you need to change.

Where to go next

This page is part of our guide to what FamilyProtect blocks. It sits close to risky online activities, and the forums involved often carry the problems covered in misinformation and fake news.

Plan questions are answered on the pricing page, and you can reach us any time through the contact form.