Degrassi Talks: Drug Use

Tay Wilson is an associate professor of psychology at Laurentian
University.

The three volumes of Degrassi Talks share the same format: about 100
pages of dialogue of teens talking about their personal experiences in
the three domains. Many young people watch Degrassi High on television.
They might also read these very easy books, which could help them to see
that they are not alone in their problems. There are also likely to be
adults, unaware of what happens in some teens’ lives, who might
benefit from reading the dialogues. However, the ideas presented are
inevitably all over the map; little or no validation is provided for
them, and insights into problems and proffered solutions are frequently
superficial and lightweight. Moreover, by suggesting that
“everybody” is engaging in the undesirable behavior in question,
these books may inadvertently encourage the behavior. All in all, the
volumes under review are too superficial to be of much benefit even to
young teens. Not recommended.