LANSING, Mich. (News 10) – The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Detroit office is reminding parents to stay aware of what happens behind their child’s screen as Michigan kids return to the classroom.
“Any time that someone has a phone, they have a drug dealer right at their fingertip,” said Joseph Dixon, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Detroit Field Division.
Fentanyl doses found in Lansing area
The DEA says its Detroit division has seized more than 8.5 million deadly doses of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced pills across Michigan, Ohio and northern Kentucky during its most recent enforcement surge.
Of those, 15,000 doses were found in the Lansing area alone, leading to seven arrests.
Those deadly doses are being sold both on the street and online, according to Dixon, who said dealers are increasingly reaching kids through social media — and parents have to be on guard.
“It runs the gamut, whether it be marijuana, whether it be cocaine, whether it be counterfeit pills. Phones are now the new drug dealers for our kids,” Dixon told News 10.
Social media platforms may work against parents, expert says
Michigan State University cybersecurity expert Tom Holt said staying aware can be difficult, in part, because the design of social media platforms themselves may work against parents trying to monitor their kids’ activity.
“There’s some research that already suggests there’s kind of algorithmic pushes to this too. So, if you’re say on Snapchat or Instagram and your friends of friends have dealers, then there’s the potential that you’ll sort of get moved along into those networks,” Holt said.
Holt was careful to note that this doesn’t mean simply being on a platform exposes a child to drugs.
Rather, he said, it can make finding a dealer easier depending on who a child is connected to online.
“That’s not to say by virtue of being on the platform, you’re going to be sold drugs, but rather you can move toward those markets a lot easier, depending on who your connections are and who you know,” Holt said.
Holt said parents should look out for new or unfamiliar apps appearing on their children’s phones, particularly encrypted messaging apps that don’t typically have a clear use for the average teenager.
“If you have a teenager who suddenly is using Telegram or Signal, that merits a really specific conversation,” Holt said.
Dixon agrees a conversation is the best place to start.
“We have to do a really good job at communicating to our kids because if we don’t, their cell phones become the blueprint for their life,” Dixon said.
DEA resources available for parents
The DEA has conversation starters and resources parents can use to stay prepared.
That includes a video series called “Hidden on Your Kid’s Phone,” which gives parents and guardians an inside look into how drug traffickers use social media to target young people.
Parents can also find the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” fact sheet, with more information on the dangers of counterfeit pills and fentanyl.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available by calling or texting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Narcan, which can reverse an overdose, is widely available without a prescription at most pharmacies and health centers in Michigan.
More than one dose may be needed if fentanyl poisoning is suspected.
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