As students return to school, parents are being warned about easy access kids have to fentanyl and other dangerous drugs through social media.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, drug cartels are targeting youth online with counterfeit pills that resemble common prescriptions. Nationwide, the DEA has seized fentanyl pills made to resemble common prescription medications such as Xanax ®, Adderall ® and Oxycodone ®.
Michael Davis is Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s St. Louis division. He told Missourinet that while drugs are a year-round threat, back-to-school time can be especially risky.
“Well, you’re gonna have a lot of kids together, and of course, sometimes you have drug dealers who are juveniles,” he said. “You also have peer pressure when you get a bunch of young kids together.”
In the first seven months of 2025, the DEA said agents in Missouri removed nearly 10.7 million doses of fentanyl.
Davis also said many young people are buying illegal drugs through apps and social media sites and arranging to meet up with sellers in locations that are physically safer.
“You no longer have to go to the bad neighborhoods to get drugs,” he said. “We have drug dealers using encrypted messaging apps and social media, making it available to anyone — anyone with a phone. They can advertise, they can arrange delivery, receive payments for the drugs. And like I said, all with your smartphone.”
Davis urges parents to have “open conversations” with their children about the dangers of experimenting with drugs and the threat posed by drug dealers who use social media to solicit buyers.
For families unsure how to begin a conversation on the dangers of drug use, the DEA has resources and fact sheets available online: https://www.dea.gov/onepill/partner-toolbox. Conversation starters, information on drugs including street names and side effects, and helpful tips on ways to stay engaged in these conversations, are available based on age and grade.
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