We have all agreed to disagree here. Kids aren't as ignorant as they may seem. Protecting your child is one thing. Educating them is an entirely different issue. My whole family (both mother and father's side) are alcoholics. From the young age of 13, I educated my daughter about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. She knows that alcoholism is a problem in our family, and watched as her grandfather literally drank himself to death. I raised my daughter the same way my mother raised me, to never feel she can't come and talk to me about ANYTHING. It paid off. My daughter is now 30 years old and is every parent's dream. She beat cancer, and has grown up to be an upstanding citizen who neither drinks not does drugs. We have a very open and honest relationship and for that I am proud.

As Catty1 has posted,

Just because you don't hear about it doesn't mean it isn't there. I'll bet, like Karen, that your daughter has heard more than you think. It's all a matter of where you want her to learn about life's realities
It's also the parent's job to monitor their children's online activities.

Kids talk and learn alot from their friends.

I think the key here is to educate your child on the downfalls of drugs and alcohol. Our children will have to make their own mistakes and learn from them, as we will not be around forever to protect them.

I'm sorry you feel the way you do. While I believe alot of people on this board mean well, it's sometimes difficult to "interpret" the meanings of how they want to express their opinions.