Children's toys blamed for drug addiction

Ananova ^ | June 22, 2005 | Staff

[MadIvan]

Children at playschool in Austria are having their toys taken away in the belief it will help them fight drug addiction and alcoholism later in life.

The project called 'toy-free kindergartens' will see groups of youngsters forced to go without their usual classroom playthings for three months to make them more independent and socially integrated.

Vienna city councillor for health, Renate Brauner, said the campaign was to prevent children from becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol in adulthood by developing their social competence.

"Pilot tests have shown that taking away children's toys encourages them to think more about how to entertain themselves. They become more social and even those on the outside of the group find a positive role," she said.

The campaign comes after recent studies in Austria found more and more children are growing up in families in which one or both parents drink too much alcohol and the number of teenagers developing problems with alcohol and drugs is growing.

[MadIvan]

Every time I think government has scraped the bottom of the barrel of stupidity, I find there's always a new level below.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[Rakkasan1]

they should give the kids Glocks.

[najida]

This is so wierd (and stupid).

[tfecw]

Time to try anything I guess. I wonder when they give good ol fasion parenting a try

[dixiechick2000]

"...recent studies in Austria found more and more children are growing up in families in which one or both parents drink too much alcohol and the number of teenagers developing problems with alcohol and drugs is growing."



Gee...surely this didn't contribute to the problem.

[dixiechick2000]

LOL!

[knak]

Nuts.

[randog]

This is what happens when you send people to college that have no reason even being near a college.

[wagglebee]

This is possibly the stupidest thing that I have ever heard. I have plenty of first-hand knowledge of alcoholism and drug abuse, not having toys to play with won't do a damn thing. In fact, there is basically nothing that can be done to prevent a person who is predisposed to these conditions from developing them. People have been trying methods like this for thousands of years, and it won't work.

[LongElegantLegs]

I don't allow my kids many toys. A sturdy doll, a Tonka Truck; stuff like that. They can entertain themselves for hours with them, and I think it's helped to develop their attention spans.

As far as preventing drug use, though...I kind of doubt it.

[skip_intro]

Pilot tests have shown that taking away children's toys encourages them to think more about how to entertain themselves.

"When I was a child, my parents were so poor that if I hadn't been a boy, I wouldn't have had anything to play with" - Rodney Dangerfield

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Pilot tests have shown that taking away children's toys encourages them to think more about how to entertain themselves.

They were entertaining themselves just fine until you took their toys away.

[peacebaby]

Tinker toys, legos, erector sets - harmful, indeed.

[Pyroxene]

The campaign comes after recent studies in Austria found more and more children are growing up in families in which one or both parents drink too much alcohol and the number of teenagers developing problems with alcohol and drugs is growing.

Somehow the studies missed the link between parent's alcohol problems and their teens. They honestly don't see the forest for the trees, do they?

[BenLurkin]

Joke, right?

[theFIRMbss]

>"Pilot tests have shown that taking away children's toys encourages them to think more about how to entertain themselves

"Hey, you wanna play
spaceship?" "No. They took away
the cool spaceship toys."

"Aw, there's nothin' fun
left to do. Want to shoot up?"
"Yeah! You got the horse?"

[RSmithOpt]

Shouldn't we try this experiment with politicians and taxes? Uhhh...take away their abilities to constantly play with creating new and raising existing taxes.

Think of it. Grown men and women throwing hissy fits and crying and holding their breath, etc.

A new reality TV show? World's weirdest, dumbest politicians?

[siunevada]

Fortunately, kids are not limited to playing with 'toys'.

[JohnnyZ]

I'm sure it's better for children to use their minds to make up games to play with each other than to use some stupid expensive toy that I never had growing up thank you very much.

If you insist on toys let them have a ball, some blocks, and Bring Your Own Stick. It'll surely make for brighter children.