“Gossip Girl” made a major splash this fall as the top rated show among teens, says USA Today, and the number one seller on iTunes. Among parents, it’s another thing entirely: a worrisome mélange of sex, drinking, bad decisions and swanky high school parties. Think “Sex in the City” for the underage set. Common Sense Media suggests that parents watch with their teens and use the show as a jumping off point for some serious discussion.

What’s happening in your home? Are you watching this show with your kids? Banning it from your airwaves? Or is it just a dash of frothy fun? Click “comments” and share your thoughts.
- Jackie Burrell

Under age drinking is not just the stuff of frothy TV, although the denizens of “Gossip Girl” drink an unbelievable amount of martinis and champagne. Middle and high school binge drinking is an “epidemic” say health experts. We explore that topic in today’s Contra Costa Times. Find out more by following these links:
** The US Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Underage Drinking, with info for families.
** California Healthy Kids Survey of seventh, ninth and eleventh graders, with reports divided by district.
** Columbia University’s National Center for Alcohol and Substance Abuse 2006 study on student and parent perspectives on alcohol and drug use.
** National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism report on underage drinking, risks and medical impact.
** 4Therapy.com report on the latest research on underage binge drinking.
** For a teen perspective, check out I Should be Doing My Homework, the Times’ teen blog.
- Jackie Burrell

Between the debut of “Kid Nation” – 40 kids building their own society in the Wild West - and the launch of sexy “Gossip Girl” (pictured above, courtesy of the CW) tonight should be a hot one for parents. We’ve been listening to colleagues Ann Tatko-Peterson and Chuck Barney weigh in on the Kid Nation conceit – Ann was horrified by the contracts parents signed that gave up all oversight of their children’s safety to a bunch of money-grubbing television producers, while TV critic Chuck is taking a wait-and-see approach. And the Times’ parent poll, which asks the question “Would you let your kids do this?” is running 72 percent against. So now we’re really curious…which is exactly what CBS intended.

As for “Gossip Girl,” the series is based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s popular YA novels that young tweens started snatching up a few years ago. Apparently, their parents saw the nice pastel covers and didn’t bother peeking inside or even reading the jacket blurbs, which called it “Sex and the City” for the teen set. And sexy it is, but what’s more concerning is the amount of alcohol the sexy teen prepsters blithely consume in the pilot episode tonight - champagne, limoncello, and vodka - with little in the way of consequences…

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