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Teens Drug Parents To Get Web Access

linuxwrangler writes "Two teens are behind bars after hatching a plan that involved drugging milkshakes they gave to the parents of one of the kids. The parents were suspicious after waking groggy the next day, and used a home drug-test on one of the remaining drinks. The teens came up with the plan in order to avoid their 10pm Internet curfew."

51 of 505 comments (clear)

  1. My milkshake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    brings all the web to the night, damn right.

  2. Wow by Murdoch5 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    She drugs her parents to surf the web......... I'm guessing video games will get blamed for this.

    1. Re:Wow by slashmydots · · Score: 4, Funny

      I believe the article did in fact say that the parents failed their saving throws against poison so indeed, it was based on DDO.

    2. Re:Wow by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm guessing video games will get blamed for this.

      Of course. That and milk.

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    3. Re:Wow by sgt+scrub · · Score: 5, Funny

      Kids that like DDO games AND give you free drugs?!? I'm checking the hospital. They obviously switched their kid with mine.

      --
      Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
    4. Re:Wow by klingers48 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Beware the twin evils of the electronic entertainment industry and dairy industry consortiums....

    5. Re:Wow by klingers48 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well the kid did roll for initiative.

    6. Re:Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Kids making up lies to be able to do or get something they want? That sure NEVER happened before Video Games!

    7. Re:Wow by aNonnyMouseCowered · · Score: 5, Interesting

      No, blame Hollywood. This sounds like the plot of some kiddie adventure movie where the kids have to sneak out of the house/dorm to save the world. Put the clueless/unsympathetic adults to bed with drugs or the Harry Potter equivalent of such. That, or she's a big Bart Simpson fan.

    8. Re:Wow by Murdoch5 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Most of the fault will remain with the parents forgoing some mental illness on the kids part. Good parents will instill the fear of god in to the kids at an early age, step out of line and your going to get punished like you've never imagined. If parents these days are refusing to set punishments and boundaries then they deserve to be druged and shot and all of the above that happens day to day. Bad parents make bad kids and good parents make good kids.

      Now I'm COMPLETELY aware the kid could have some mental issue and that alone made her do what she did, this would NOT be the parents fault and fall outside my post, I've said it so let it go.

  3. This should be interesting... by Stoutlimb · · Score: 5, Funny

    Any bets they will get web access in the juvenile detention centre?

    1. Re:This should be interesting... by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There are 2 perhaps 3 reasons to Jail people.

      Reason 1. They are dangerous to themselves and others. These people need to be jailed to keep the rest of society safe, offering some life comforts often will help keep keep them safer. For example Cable TV in Jail is a godsend. Because before hand criminals would just exercise all day making themselves stronger and stronger so they can hurt more people. Cable TV has made them a bunch of couch potatoes, making them less physically strong to hurt people.

      Reason 2. Punishment. The best part about giving extras to prisoners is if they misbehave they have something to take away. If they are good something to reward them. Otherwise the prisoners will have nothing to loose and will just behave badly.

      Reason 3. Rehabilitation. There isn't strong evidence that Prisons are good at Rehab, However if they are, you cannot treat people like animals and expect them leave a changed person.

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  4. I wonder what feels worse by Nyder · · Score: 5, Interesting

    the groggy feeling of being drugged the night before, or that knowing your daughter doesn't have a problem doing stuff like this to you.

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    1. Re:I wonder what feels worse by mark-t · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The latter. No contest.

    2. Re:I wonder what feels worse by schlachter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That they had a home drug test that was able to test whatever drugs they were given is already pretty telling. Seems like there were other problems...

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  5. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by shentino · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Control freak parents or not the kids were under their roof so their word was law.

    It's been that way ever since the days of cave men.

    If the kids don't like those rules they should get jobs and earn some of their own freedom.

  6. Re:Freedom by mark-t · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's not right for a parent to adjudicate who is allowed to use the Internet that *THEY* pay for?

    Really, if the kid wants their own internet, they should get themselves emancipated and move out.

  7. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by Omnifarious · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Control freak parents or not the kids were under their roof so their word was law.

    Well, there are definitely limits there. But imposing a 22:00 Internet curfew is well within the bounds.

  8. Re:wow... horrible parents by Omnifarious · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They fell asleep and were groggy the next day from 1/4 of the milkshake. Suppose they'd drunk the whole thing. They might be dead by now. Sorry, but I can't side with the kids on this. While I doubt the juvenile justice system is going to do them much good, what they did is definitely outside the bounds of acceptable behavior and should be considered criminal.

    If I were the parents, I'd wait until they were convicted, then discuss sentencing options and see about making sure the harm is minimized. They deserve a really good scare and to see just how coldly the system can treat them for their incredibly outrageous and entitled behavior.

  9. Re:wow... horrible parents by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It was only sleeping medicine, jesus... they acted like their kid and her friend slipped them cyanide.

    What if one of them decided to drive to the corner store?
    What if one of them decided to have a glass of wine before bed... maybe a cold beer?
    What if they actually finished the shakes?
    What if the parents are taking conflicting prescriptions?
    What if they were taking the same prescription meds they were slipped?
    What if one of them was allergic to the drug?

    I could continue, but I think you can understand what the problem is.

  10. anything with computers by arielCo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I know this is an old peeve, but still: this story is about kids drugging parents to get $THING. Is it on /. only because $THING == Internet?

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    1. Re:anything with computers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      I dunno, you have to admit there's an "ingenuity with chemistry at home" angle that might qualify this for Slashdot anyway.

      (Obligatory for mods with no sense of humor: Not that this sort of thing should be celebrated. Drugging people against their will is bad. Don't do it unless your curfew is really unreasonable, like eight o'clock.)

  11. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by Darkness404 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The problem is though, controlling a child in silly ways like an "internet curfew" when they are teenagers isn't productive and leads to deeper problems.

    Of course there are times to be firm and times to be unyielding, namely when a child's safety is at stake. But silly things like an "internet curfew" will simply lead to the kid resenting their parents.

    I think back to when I was in college, those with very strict and controlling parents usually ended up being the kids who drank heavily and skipped class and ended up having strained relations with their family. On the other hand, those with parents who were more rational and let their kids realize that staying up until 4 AM on the phone on weeknights lead to a miserable school day the next day rather than imposing a "phone curfew" ended up being more responsible.

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  12. Re:Home drug test kit? by ToadProphet · · Score: 4, Informative

    Ah, had to RTFA and watch the damn video... but apparently it was a drug test kit from the police station.

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  13. Re:Story sounds made up. by darkfeline · · Score: 3

    "drug testing kit"

    Yeah no. I don't think the average dipshit would have any idea how to get ahold of that. And any they WOULD get ahold of. Are not going to 'detect' any sleeping medication the average teen could even get ahold of.

    Home drug tests are MADE to test for things the average teen could get ahold of. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+to+buy+home+drug+test

    Let alone who the hell keeps a milkshake around overnight.

    Someone who was drugged after taking a couple sips? Being knocked out gets in the way of stuff like throwing away milkshakes. Pity the kids didn't have the foresight to throw it away themselves, but then again, what can you except from kids who drug their parents to check facebook after curfew?

    This story sounds 100% made up. The media will eat it up tho. But not too much. It's too fake.

    Try harder.

  14. 2am StarCraft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    A few years ago, some people I know figured out that their teen-aged son was setting an alarm clock for 2:00 in the morning, and getting up and playing StarCraft on the Internet for a few hours and then going back to bed.

    They weren't sure what was up, for a while, but they did notice he seemed like he wasn't well rested and his school teachers were noticing as well. He wasn't an A+ student to start with and this really wasn't helping his grades.

    Hmm, maybe Blizzard should have made an ad featuring him. "StarCraft: it's better than sleep!"

    1. Re:2am StarCraft by Andy+Prough · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yeah - I think you just described nearly every teenaged son alive.

    2. Re:2am StarCraft by Terrasque · · Score: 3, Funny

      A friend of mine had an alarm clock for when he should go to bed. When forgetting to set that, he sat playing all night and got interrupted by the normal alarm clock instead, telling him it was time to go to school.

      And yes, this was Starcraft, too.

      --
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  15. Parents needed to use available tools. by Andy+Prough · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Most modern wireless routers can be set to block internet automatically at a certain time of night for select devices in the house based on either IP address or MAC address. No reason to fight about it every night with the kids - set an automatic policy and communicate the policy. Simple.

  16. Re:Freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Drugging people is serious. Please don't become a parent...

  17. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    um, no.

    it's 10, go to bed.

    go. to. bed.

    no, you can't surf the internet. no, you can't stay up texting.

    go. to. bed.

    reasonable.

    (ironic captcha: syringes)

  18. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by mysidia · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The problem is though, controlling a child in silly ways like an "internet curfew" when they are teenagers isn't productive and leads to deeper problems.

    It isn't out of the line, if the kid tends to stay up all ours of the night playing online. Or their school work suffers because they're sleepy in the morning.

  19. Re:If they meant to scare them, they took it too f by Hartree · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "I am not a doctor"

    It shows.

    The line between a dose that will reliably put a random person out against their will and what can shut down breathing or perhaps cause vomit aspiration is famously thin when you don't know about drug interactions, medical conditions, if they drank a couple beers on the way home, etc. etc.

    If they'd drank the whole thing, maybe they'd have been alright, but then again maybe not.

  20. Re:If they meant to scare them, they took it too f by jklovanc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I am not a doctor, but all medications come in varying dosages. We don't exactly know the whole story here, so stop making assumptions.

    My bet here is that something was seriously wrong in this household, and the teen was acting out in the only way she knew how.

    It seems funny how you can assume that " the teen was acting out in the only way she knew how" based on the girl drugging the parents but not that the dosage in the shake might have been lethal based on the effect of 1/4 of the dose. If you are against assumptions the you are against all assumptions. Sorry but you can not pick and choose.

    The parents were being vindictive, that's the only explanation.

    Yet another assumption. Another explanation might be they were great parents at the end of their rope with a daughter who has no boundaries. We do not know the whole story..

  21. Re:Still horrible parenting by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 5, Informative

    But, you apparently still think that the kids should've been arrested / permanently condemned for this?

    Fuck yea. This is not bad behavior - this is sociopathic behavior. Anyway they will be punished as a juvenile so the consequences aren't as permanent as you are trying to make it out to be. Certainly not as permanent as allowing this sociopathic behavior to get worse.

    What if the parents did nothing and a couple of years later their or their neighbor's kid does something that kills or seriously injures someone? If you found out that the parents allowed this action to go unchecked/unreported then you would be screaming about how irresponsible the parents were and how they should be held accountable for their child's actions.

    The parents did good. They were being parents. Being a parent is not always trying to be your child's best friend - it's doing what is best for your child regardless how unpopular it makes you feel.

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  22. Trusting parents by BitZtream · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does it not surprise anyone else that one of their first thoughts was to drug test the milkshake?

    I can not possibly imagine waking up groggy and at any point thinking 'Was I drugged?!?!?!'

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    1. Re:Trusting parents by Inda · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If my daughter offered me a drink in the evening I would be immediately suspicious. It's my job.

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  23. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by arkane1234 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    says an anonymous 12 year old ;)

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  24. Re:If they meant to scare them, they took it too f by ImprovOmega · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "I am not a doctor"

    It shows.

    The line between a dose that will reliably put a random person out against their will and what can shut down breathing or perhaps cause vomit aspiration is famously thin when you don't know about drug interactions, medical conditions, if they drank a couple beers on the way home, etc. etc.

    Well, it does depend on the drug. Ketamine for instance will knock people out (welcome to the K-hole!) but the risk of overdosing is minimal since it actually increases blood pressure and doesn't depress breathing. For that reason it's a preferred anesthetic for less than ideal situations (battlefield, triage center, disaster areas) because it is damn hard to accidentally kill someone with it, but damn easy to knock them out reliably.

  25. Re:Freedom by arkane1234 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    slipping drugs of any form into your parents body is far from a dumb stunt.
    A dumb stunt would be someting like giving your parent a gag glass with a bottom that slips off or something. NOT something body-altering.

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  26. Re:wow... horrible parents by joocemann · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Here here!

    YOU. DON'T. DRUG. PEOPLE.

    These tards talking like it was a prank either don't have kids, or shouldn't.

    Responsible parents make sure that their kids learn basic decency, like never ever drugging people. This is not a "good scotsman" fallacy, it is blunt reality. Letting this slip would be a major failure at parenting.

  27. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by jamesh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Exactly. And THAT should be the punishment. If someone can stay up until 5 AM playing WoW and still end up doing well in school, what's the problem? If they're tired in the morning and end up having a horrible day because of it, chances are they're going to go to bed earlier so they don't get tired.

    Been watching 60's sitcoms where kids learn from their mistakes have you? "Awww geee... I'm really cranky today, Ma and Pa were right when they said that would happen. i'd better go to bed early tonight like the good little child I am."

    Left to their own devices, teenagers will often only make decisions that are in their best interests in the very short term. "I was really cranky all today because I stayed up late last night and it's 10pm now so I should go to bed but i've just got my second wind and feel great now so I won't".

    That's what parents are for. I've had a bunch of people tell me their fantastical ideas about parenting... not saying "no" to their child, letting them do whatever they want and learning from their mistakes, etc, but for the most part it seems to be an excuse to never actually do any real parenting.

  28. Re:If they meant to scare them, they took it too f by Dahamma · · Score: 3

    I am not a doctor, but all medications come in varying dosages. We don't exactly know the whole story here, so stop making assumptions.

    This assumption goes both ways. If you intentionally drug someone, you have to assume it could be dangerous. And guess what, it usually is - there are very few prescription drugs where an overdose doesn't have some serious side effects. And sleep medications are usually not intended to knock you on your ass, but to aid sleep. If they woke up with a nasty hangover it's OBVIOUSLY more than the standard dose already.

    And you clearly don't have kids, let alone teens with serious behavioral problems. What are they supposed to do, laugh it off? Or punish her by cutting off her Internet access? Yeah, that would be a great idea. Better make her taste all your food first.

  29. Re:wow... horrible parents by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I were the parents, I'd wait until they were convicted, then discuss sentencing options and see about making sure the harm is minimized.

    Actually I would have my lawyer discuss with the DA a deal that involves involuntary commitment with reasonable terms to a mental health facility in lieu of conviction and formal sentencing. This way my child has no choice but to seek professional help and the parents of my child's friend will have no choice but to do the same.

    If my child acted alone, I would most likely not press charges and just seek professional help. However if I was in the same situation as these parents, I probably would turn my child over to the authorities. Not because I think I need the state to get involved with my parenting, but because chances are pretty damn good that the friend put my child (in the story the friend provided the sleeping pills) up to this and I need the state to force the friend's parent to seek help. Besides the DA would probably take the plea deal in exchange for testimony against the child that provided the prescription drugs.

    Regardless of the uncomfortable situation the parents found themselves in, ignoring the problem and hoping the behavior improves doesn't seem a viable option.

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  30. Re:Freedom by flimflammer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If my kid drugged me? You bet your ass they would be. It's not just a dumb stunt. They could have done some serious damage.

  31. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by mysidia · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If someone can stay up until 5 AM playing WoW and still end up doing well in school, what's the problem?

    The problem is threefold: (1) It is not healthy to stay up so long playing WoW; it is not a normal activity, and the only benefit is entertainment with significant negatives -- it is a nasty habit to get into, that can have serious consequences over time, due to sleep deprivation, and potential psychological issues due to emerging addictive/obsessive game playing behavior. As a parent, I would want the best for my kid; therefore, behaviors that are likely to result in unhealthy habits are intolerable. It would be just as unacceptable as it would be for them to stay out that late drinking or partying.

    Staying up late that night on rare occasion might be OK, but not to continue a game to the 9th hour or longer.

    (2) The child would seem to be playing one game for an excessively long period - if staying up until 5 AM -- this has negative social ramifications. Diversity of activities are important. Watching TV, playing computer games, or surfing the web, for more than a few hours a day: unacceptable. For the teenage to learn to survive and mature, it is important, that they be exposed to a more diverse experience, which means productive or intellectual activities besides playing WoW are not optional.

    (3) Playing WoW is not productive. If the child has that much free time available that they are willing to be awake so long, then the greatest percentage of it must be used in a productive pursuit -- either pursuing educational activities, such as reading books, and specifically nonfiction, OR pursuing a productive activity that improves skills/abilities, or earns money.

    The chance that they are BOTH productive and play WoW that long are basically negligible, so it is a safe thing to say, if they play WoW that long, it is reasonable to disallow them use of the computer.

    (4) Parent provides the internet connection. This is a shared resource, and they need to learn to share, which means not utilizing it 24x7. It is reasonable for the parent to say "You must always stop using it at 10 and go to bed"

    [* Time after 10pm is Parents' porn-watching leisure time]

  32. Re:Home drug test kit? by BasilBrush · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Something does seem truly odd about the parents seeking prosecution of their own teenage child.

    A girl that drugs her parents, probably wasn't an angel before. Sounds like a very thick and very heavy last straw.

    There is a stage, when kids are completely out of control, that many parents consider getting the law involved is the best thing not just for them, but for the child too.

  33. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by BradleyUffner · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As a child, sure. Not as a teen though. Curfew but not a bedtime.

    My parents were FAR from controlling, yet the whole way through highschool my sister and I were told many times how late we could stay up.

  34. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by jklovanc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The "miserable school day" is no consequence to most teenagers. They generally don't care. They will just sleep through class anyway or skip it all together. Many teenagers see no further than the next date or party and generally don't care whether or not they pass.

    I agree that there are some parents who are control freaks. They dictate everything in their children's lives and the children rebel. There are also parents who set no boundaries for their children and the children act up just to be noticed. Both extremes have the same consequences; children that act out. There is a balance between those extremes where a child has both freedoms and constraints. Most teenagers do not yet have the mental capacity to understand the consequences of failing school. That is what parents are for. I think requiring a juvenile to not contact friends after bedtime so they get a good night sleep and have the capacity to learn in school is reasonable.

  35. Re:A 10pm internet curfew? by Tom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If someone can stay up until 5 AM playing WoW and still end up doing well in school, what's the problem?

    self-delusion.

    You can do this once or twice, especially if you are young. If you think you can do it regularily, then you are deluding yourself. Sleep-deprivation is a well-researched environmental condition and its detrimental physical and mental effects are undisputed.

    However, humans are excellent at convincing themselves of any bullshit they want to believe in. Smoking isn't bad for your health, having fun is a sin, drinking every night is just a social activity, your problems are not your fault, whatever.

    Someone with an addiction will rationalize it away and explain all resulting problems with other causes. He's not doing bad in school because of lack of sleep, but because the teachers are bad and the other kids are mean to him. He's not lost his marriage because of his drinking problem, but because his wife was unfaithful. He doesn't enjoy torturing people, it's just that sinners need to be punished. Whatever.

    You are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts.
    Sleep deprivation and its effects are well-documented facts, no matter how much you wish that you can party all night, or play WoW or do whatever and shake it off. You can't. We know this, and wishful thinking doesn't change it.

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  36. Korova Milkybars... by Dogtanian · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm guessing video games will get blamed for this.

    Of course. That and milk.

    You mean milk-plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what they were drinking? This would dull them down and get you ready for a bit of the old Facebook.

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