Published on 12 June, 2026
When she’s not hiding out at a café or having funny little conversations with her three children, June can be found editing articles or dreaming up podcast episodes for Focus on the Family Singapore.
At a Glance:
How can parents talk to children about drugs?
In Singapore, it is easy to assume that drug abuse is no longer a pressing concern. We upkeep strict laws around drug trafficking and use, schools regularly share preventive messages, and public campaigns are highly visible. Many of us hope that the systems we have in place will be enough to keep our children and youths safe.
Yet reality tells a different story. Recent figures show that about half of new drug abusers arrested are under the age of 30. This means our children are not immune to the pressures and temptations surrounding drugs.
One major shift is how accessible drugs have become. Years ago, drug exposure required physical contact and significant effort. Today, drugs are portrayed more openly and frequently in global pop culture, including films, television shows, and online content, which can shape how youths perceive substance use and its risks. Online platforms, messaging apps, and overseas travel also make first contact with drugs easier.
As Dr Adrian Loh, NCADA Council Member and Senior Consultant Psychiatrist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, points out, even in a tightly controlled society, “families still provide the sentinel at home, as the ones who really guard the child, provide the guardrails, and help them fend off these influences outside”.
Simply put, systems matter, but what we do as parents still matters more.
Families still provide the sentinel at home, as the ones who really guard the child, provide the guardrails, and help them fend off these influences outside.
When we hear about youths using drugs, our minds often explain it away as peer pressure or thrill-seeking. While teenage curiosity does play a role, this is rarely the full picture.
Dr Loh shared that for many young people, drug use begins as an attempt to cope with life’s challenges, much like other kinds of addictive habits such as drinking or smoking. Anxiety, academic stress, emotional pain, loneliness, and low mood are common drivers, where drugs take on the form of a band-aid. Seeing drug use only as misconduct risks missing what our children may actually be trying to soothe and manage beneath the surface.
Adolescence is often marked by changes in moods and behaviours, so not every shift needs to be interpreted as a warning sign. Still, patterns such as sudden mood changes, withdrawal from usual interests, declining school engagement, secrecy around devices, or distress expressed on social media deserve our attention.
This does not mean we take them as cues to interrogate or accuse them. Rather, see it as an invitation to pause, spend time together, and understand what your child may be going through.
In a world where our children may receive mixed messages about drugs online, we should avoid a purely fear-based or punitive approach. Such an approach can make conversations at home feel closed or judgmental, and lead to closed doors or our children going underground.
Instead, it will help to keep conversations open, curious, and ongoing. That means listening more than correcting, asking questions about what they have heard, and staying curious even when the topics feel uncomfortable.
The impact of this cannot be overstated. Dr Loh shared that, according to the 2025 National Drug Perception Survey, “about 95% of youths who said their parents were proactive in talking about drug issues reported that it helped them stay off drugs.”
This is a powerful reminder that what we say, and how we say it, can make a difference.
It will help to keep conversations open, curious, and ongoing. That means listening more than correcting, asking questions about what they have heard, and staying curious.
We need not wait until the teenage years to have conversations about drugs. Primary school is often a practical starting point, using simple, age-appropriate language that is focused on health and wellbeing. Younger children need clarity of information and reassurance, while older youths may need space to think, question, and dialogue.
We are also not meant to do this alone. Schools, community efforts, and external resources exist to support us, but these work best when they are amplified through everyday conversations at home.
Parenting today is demanding, and none of us will get it perfectly right. Still, when we choose connection over control, curiosity over fear, and conversation over silence, we can become one of the strongest protective factors in our children’s lives.
In a world where messages about drugs are everywhere, let home remain the place where our children find it safe to ask questions, and find guidance about some of the difficult topics in life.
Find out more about National Council of Drug Abuse (NCADA) here. You can also follow them on their Instagram and Facebook.
When she’s not hiding out at a café or having funny little conversations with her three children, June can be found editing articles or dreaming up podcast episodes for Focus on the Family Singapore.
Nelson and Gina
Workshop: May 2026
Nelson and Gina Lee have been accredited facilitators with Focus on the Family Singapore for over a decade, beginning their involvement conducting relationship talks for tertiary students since 2011.
Driven by a passion for nurturing strong relationships, they have extensive experience in facilitating dating workshops for courting couples and pre-marital programmes for those considering marriage. They have also have led marriage retreats designed to deepen connection and commitment among married couples.
