Betting on Risk: What Families Need to Know About Online Gambling and its Effects on Young People
Join us for a free Learning Series Event
May 21, 2026 from 12 to 12:45 PM ET via Zoom
Registration Required
“36% of boys age 11 to 17 report gambling in the past year, rising significantly from 32% of boys age 11 to 49% of those age 17.” — A Common Sense Media Study released in 2026
Gaming or gambling? With schools letting out for the summer, many young people will spend more time online, increasing their exposure to gambling-like features in games, sports betting content, and online gambling platforms. As the lines between gaming and gambling continue to blur, students from elementary school through college are encountering these risks earlier and more often than many adults realize. In fact according to the same study, “Nearly half of boys see posts about gambling, yet only 14% actually went looking for them.”
Now is the time for families to get educated.
Join fellow DMV parents and guardians for a timely conversation about the growing prevalence of online gambling among youth and what it means for young people today. This session will explore how these trends are showing up in teens’ lives, why they can be difficult to recognize, and the real risks they pose.
You’ll hear from Second Story staff as well as a co-founder of “Parents Standing Together,” a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about youth gambling-related harm, empowering parents with tools and knowledge to recognize and mitigate risks, and providing peer support to navigating its impact. She’ll share her journey as a mom to a gambling-addicted teen. This organization was featured in a recent story on NBC News.
You’ll also gain practical tools, including warning signs to watch for and strategies for starting informed, age-appropriate conversations at home.
Whether you’re already concerned or simply want to stay informed, this session will help you better understand an issue that is becoming increasingly common, and increasingly accessible, to young people today.
After registering, you’ll receive the Zoom link.
Thank you!