A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that anti-drug messages are reaching teens and making a significant impact.

The SAMHSA report demonstrates that the vast majority of youth ages 12 to 17 are receiving drug and alcohol prevention messages from sources such as TV, radio, posters and pamphlets. In fact, more than 83 percent of youth (20.8 million) reported having seen or heard an alcohol or drug prevention message from media such as TV, radio, posters and pamphlets in the past 12 months.

Not only are a large number of teens hearing anti-drug messages, they are making an impact. Youth who reported having seen or heard prevention messages in the media during the past year are much less likely than their peers to report illicit drug use (10.8 vs. 13.7 percent).

Although the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign reaches 86 percent of youth 4.4 times a week and 72 percent of parents 3.6 times a week, it’s imperative that teens also receive positive reinforcement from the caring adults in their community. In fact, the data also reaffirms the crucial role parents play in keeping their children drug-free.

While fewer youths reported hearing anti-drug messages from their parents than through media sources (58.9 percent vs. 83.6 percent), those who had talked with a parent about the dangers of drug use were less likely to report past month illicit drug use than those who had not talked with a parent (10 vs. 13 percent).