Don't be an asterisk

"I learned it by watching you," the young man explains to his father after it's learned that he's using drugs. That's how the now famous commercial from the 1980s unfolds, reminding parents of the influence their behaviors have on their children. Fast forward 20 years or so, and kids now have constant access to information that extends far past the walls of their home, yet in some circumstances they remain utterly deprived of knowledge.

A case can certainly made these days that professional athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and rock stars have an obligation, a duty, to the youth in this country to be role models. Kids today not only turn to their parents for answers or guidance, but they rely on what they see and hear on YouTube and MySpace. And, if part what they're hearing and seeing is the concept of a physical ideal, some young people will do what they mistakenly feel is necessary to achieve it -- even it if means taking the same dangerous steps those athletes or celebrities have taken.

In efforts to raise awareness of the growing trend of teenage steroid use, and to dispel the notion that a physical ideal actually even exists, the Ad Council has launched a campaign called "Don't Be an Asterisk," referring to the asterisk that has been placed in the record books after the names of athletes who reportedly used performance-enhancing drugs. Parents and kids alike can visit the interactive website www.dontbeanasterisk.com to learn more about the negative effects of steroids, in addition to finding a surfeit of information on how to live a healthy, drug-free life.