Summer between high school graduation and college is a critical time for preventing risky behaviors – here’s how parents can play a key role

Honest conversations between parents and teens can help incoming college students make safer choices and be more aware of risks.

By: Beverly Kingston, University of Colorado Boulder and Clara Hill, Washington State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 9, 2026

Words: 1,294

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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By Beverly Kingston, University of Colorado Boulder and Clara Hill, Washington State University

Early summer is a valuable time for parents and young people to prepare for the transition to college in the fall.

As first-year college students arrive on campus every fall, a predictable pattern unfolds. Rates of heavy drinking spike, social pressures intensify, and the risk of sexual assault, injury and other harms increases.

Many parents feel trepidation about their …

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