For many parents, gambling may seem like something that happens in casinos, sportsbooks, or lottery shops—not something their child encounters while playing a video game, watching sports, or scrolling through social media.
But the digital landscape has changed.
A new 2026 report from Common Sense Media, Betting on Boys: Understanding Gambling Among Adolescent Boys, examined gambling and gambling-related activities among 1,017 boys ages 11 to 17 in the United States. The findings show that gambling can enter adolescents' lives through gaming, sports, social media, friends, and even family activities.
For parents, the issue isn't simply whether a teenager is placing a traditional sports bet. It's understanding how gambling can become normalized long before a young person ever downloads a betting app.
Gambling Doesn't Always Look Like Gambling
Today's teens may encounter gambling-like experiences in places they already spend time.
Common Sense Media's research divided gambling-related activities into three broad categories: online gaming-related activities, sports-related gambling, and traditional gambling. Gaming-related activities included spending real money on random rewards such as loot boxes and trading or betting with in-game items purchased with real money. Sports-related activities included fantasy sports, sports betting, and in-game betting.
This distinction matters because some activities may not legally or academically be classified as gambling. However, the report notes that loot boxes and similar systems can share characteristics with gambling, including risk, reward, and uncertainty.
A teenager may think they are simply trying to unlock a rare item or participating in a game with friends. From a parent's perspective, however, it can be useful to ask how chance, money, rewards, and spending are being built into that experience.
More Than One-Third of Boys Reported Gambling
Common Sense Media found that 36% of boys ages 11 to 17 reported participating in gambling or gambling-related activities during the previous year. The percentage increased substantially with age, from 32% among 11-year-olds to 49% among 17-year-olds.
Sports are also an important part of the picture.
Twelve percent of all boys surveyed reported participating in sports-related gambling. Among boys who had gambled, 34% participated in some form of sports-related gambling, including season-long contests, sports betting or fantasy sports, and in-game betting. Sixty percent of boys participating in sports-related gambling reported doing so at least monthly.
That means conversations about gambling shouldn't begin only after a parent discovers a betting account. They can begin when a child starts watching sports, participating in fantasy leagues, spending money inside games, or encountering gambling-related content online.
Social Media Can Introduce Gambling Without a Teen Looking for It
One of the most important findings in the report involves how gambling content reaches boys.
Among boys who gambled, 45% reported watching gambling videos or streams online. Yet only 14% said they actively searched for gambling content or followed accounts that posted about it.
The majority encountered it passively: 59% said gambling content simply started appearing in their feed, while 24% encountered it because friends shared it with them.
This is important for parents because a teenager doesn't necessarily have to search for gambling in order to be exposed to it.
A teen might watch sports highlights, follow an NBA or soccer account, watch gaming creators, or follow a favorite influencer. Gambling-related content can then appear alongside the entertainment they already consume.
Common Sense Media found that boys who watched gambling content sometimes or often reported spending an average of $72, compared with $33 among nonviewers. They were also more likely to report spending more than planned.
The study does not establish that watching gambling content directly causes higher spending. However, the association is significant enough that parents should pay attention to the types of gambling-related content appearing in their child's feed.
Friends Can Have a Powerful Influence
Parents may also underestimate how much peers influence gambling behavior.
The report found that 84% of boys whose friends mostly or all gamble reported gambling themselves, compared with just 17% of boys who reported having no friends who gamble.
Peer influence can take many forms.
A friend might share a betting-related video. A group chat might revolve around sports predictions. Friends might make informal bets during a game. Or a teenager might see someone in their social circle showing off a winning bet.
The goal for parents shouldn't necessarily be to shame a child or immediately blame their friends. Instead, parents can use these situations as opportunities to ask questions:
- What are your friends doing?
- Are people actually spending money?
- What happens when someone loses?
- Do people talk more about winning than losing?
- Does anyone feel pressured to participate?
- How much money are people putting into it?
The Common Sense Media report specifically recommends paying attention to peer influence and encouraging teens to think critically about gambling rather than simply responding with punishment.
Why Gambling Content Can Be So Appealing
For the boys surveyed, fun and excitement were the most commonly reported reasons for gambling, cited by 38%.
Winning money and gambling because it was part of games they liked were each reported by 28%. Twenty-one percent said they gambled to obtain powerful or rare in-game items or unlock restricted elements.
These motivations highlight something important: gambling doesn't always begin with the thought, "I want to gamble."
It may begin with:
- "This looks fun."
- "I know a lot about this sport."
- "Everyone is doing it."
- "I could make some money."
- "It's only a few dollars."
- "I want that rare item."
For some young people, repeated exposure can make gambling feel like an ordinary part of entertainment, sports, gaming, and online culture.
Warning Signs Parents Should Watch For
Most boys in the study who gambled did not report significant harm. However, 27% of boys who gambled reported at least some negative effects, including stress or conflict with parents, while 40% reported some level of regret.
Parents may want to pay particular attention when a teen:
- Spends more money than they intended
- Continues gambling despite losing
- Becomes preoccupied with winning money
- Uses a parent's credit or debit card without permission
- Becomes secretive about spending
- Talks frequently about wins, losses, odds, or betting
- Feels pressured by friends to participate
- Becomes upset or distressed after losing
- Starts participating in multiple types of gambling
- Expresses regret but continues participating
The report found that boys who had lost $51 or more were much more likely to report spending more than planned and using their parents' cards without permission.
What Parents Can Do
Parents don't need to understand every game, betting platform, or social-media trend their teenager encounters.
Instead, start with curiosity.
Ask your child to show you the games they play and the content they watch. Ask how rewards work, whether real money is involved, and whether outcomes depend on chance. The report recommends beginning conversations early and revisiting them as children grow.
Parents can also establish clear rules around:
- In-app purchases
- Loot boxes and randomized rewards
- Sports-related contests
- Gambling apps and websites
- Use of family credit or debit cards
- Spending limits
- Sharing financial information with friends
The report found that fewer than half of boys—45%—said their families had rules about gambling.
Start the Conversation Before There Is a Problem
The goal isn't to make teenagers afraid of every game, sport, or social-media platform.
It's to help them recognize when entertainment starts becoming financially risky.
A parent might ask:
"What happens when you spend money in that game?"
"How do you know whether you're actually getting something valuable?"
"Do people online show you when they lose money, or mostly when they win?"
"Why do you think these videos keep appearing in your feed?"
"Would you still want to do it if nobody else was doing it?"
These conversations can help teenagers develop the critical thinking skills they need to navigate an increasingly commercialized digital environment.
Common Sense Media recommends starting conversations early, setting clear boundaries, recognizing gambling-like activities in games, paying attention to peer influence, and taking warning signs such as overspending, unauthorized card use, and regret seriously.
For parents, the most important question may not be "Is my teen gambling?"
It may be:
"How is gambling being presented to my teen—and how often are they seeing it?"
