7 Key Considerations in Steering Children Away from Possible Fentanyl Deaths

The epidemic of fentanyl poisoning proliferates; CNN reported that the powerful synthetic opioid is a factor in nearly two-thirds of all deaths by overdose in the United States. However, many parents still assume fentanyl is only of potential danger, at the youngest, to high school students and college students. 

But nearly a dozen students in Texas’s Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, some only middle schoolers, overdosed on fentanyl from September 2022 through March 2023. Three of those students died from the deadly drug. 

“Few parents are unaware, at this point, that young people are dying from fentanyl poisoning, but most think it’s a problem that starts in high school,” says Magee, a student wellbeing activist and author of the upcoming book Things Have Changed: What Every Parent (and Educator) Should Know About the Student Mental Health and Substance Misuse Crisis. “But if you wait until high school to talk to your children—and in some cases middle school—it may be too late.”

 In 2013, Magee, also the host of The Mayo Lab Podcast, found the body of his oldest child William, who relapsed in recovery and died of an accidental drug overdose. He shared this story in his book Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love, and Loss. Even before, Magee’s younger son Hudson nearly died from a drug overdose in 2012 at his fraternity house, before making a full recovery.

In studying the paths that led to these events, Magee realized that keeping children away from drugs (whether laced with fentanyl or not) isn’t as simple as warning them of the dangers and telling them not to use drugs. He advises that the best shot parents and educators have for heading off substance misuse is to help young people understand their mental health challenges and how to deal with those in healthy ways.

Magee offers seven critical concepts parents and educators should understand and tactics they should use in guiding young people.

1. Understand what fentanyl is.

This highly potent and addictive drug is easy to manufacture quickly. Counterfeit pill makers often include it in their product to heighten their customers’ addictions and keep them coming back for more. That’s harmful enough, but sloppy, inconsistent counterfeit drug making often results in a lethal amount of fentanyl in a single pill. A young person who has taken pills from the same dealer before may die instantly from the next pill if it has an extra crumb of fentanyl.

2. Understand who the drug is killing.

As noted above, younger and younger children are getting their hands on drugs, including those laced with lethal amounts of fentanyl. Students who overdosed in Texas were 14-year-old middle schoolers. And they aren’t the youngest who are now able to get drugs in our nation. 

3. Talk to your children starting in elementary school.

While focusing on mental health is critical and often more effective than harping only on the dangers of drugs, discussion of the all-or-nothing possibility of dying from one pill is paramount—especially before middle school. Magee says the importance of reaching children earlier is twofold. 

“First, when they are older, they likely already know people who are using fentanyl and believe that since nothing has happened to them (yet) that they too are safe,” he explains. “Second, older children are more likely to have already tried substances themselves. They may even be addicted already, and you can’t ‘scare’ a person who is addicted into stopping. At that point, they know they are putting their lives on the line but are usually unable to stop on their own. Prevention is a much more effective strategy.”

4. Focus on your children’s mental health.

Spurred on by academic pressures, overuse of social media and other factors, rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation among children are at an all-time high. So, parents should pay attention to nurturing their child’s connection to joy, so it is important to…

5. Understand the joy connection.

Most parents want to raise their children to be resilient through adolescence and into adulthood, but this often manifests in training them to simply be “tough” and ignore happiness or at least put it on the backburner. 

Magee believes that developing resilient children and adults requires helping them find their joy. Factors working against the essential joy that humans crave are social media addiction; sedentary, indoor lifestyles; isolation from others; and substance misuse.

“Young people need someone in their corner cheering them on and guiding them in their pursuit of what brings them joy and wellness,” Magee says. “Conversations about joy, including what brings joy and what takes it away, can’t happen early enough in your child’s life.”

6. Ask open-ended questions.

It’s only natural for parents, from their hard-earned wisdom, to dictate to children what they should do (and not do) and how they should feel (and not feel). A better approach, to get them thinking and communicating, is to ask open-ended questions—that require more than one word to answer. 

“Questions like these are the gateway to engagement,” says Magee. “Your children’s answers will not only be delightful but also illuminating for you and for them.” 

7. Build their wellbeing “toolboxes.”

Staying attuned to joy means developing habits that keep that connection strong, such as supporting one’s mind, body and spirit. Tools in this toolbox include getting enough sleep every night, walking or jogging in the fresh air, being intentional about social media use, and finding something bigger than themselves to believe in. Taking care of oneself is the foundation for creating and nurturing joy.

“Remember that children are more likely to embrace these wellness tools when you lead by example,” points out Magee. “So, it’s crucial to get serious about addressing your own joy thieves and changing your behaviors if you need to.”