We’re all faced with tough decisions that could become negative as we enter high school. Alcohol, drugs, and cheating are a few; gambling may be one of the most destructive of all, yet it’s the least spoken about.
Since middle school, we’ve been taught that gambling is bad and can have detrimental effects on adolescent brains. Despite this knowledge, I still see kids all around De Pere High School gambling.
Parents or family members wagering their money often exhibits a poor relationship with adolescents gambling, leading to betting as they grow older. This exposure has resulted in more and more adolescents gambling.
With the internet being as accessible as it is now, online wagering is as easy as downloading an app.
The most popular avenue is sports betting, and online gambling has been legalized in many states resulting in easy access with loopholes minors work around. Consequently, online betting apps have changed their formatting and features to resemble playing video games, which appeals to younger audiences.
Betting as an adolescent can result in pivotal impairment to the brain. Research demonstrates that teen gambling harms the prefrontal cortex, which affects decision-making, self-control, and other vital functions. Additionally, injury to this part of the brain has shown an increase in substance abuse and poor decision-making in the future.
All of this is scientific proof that gambling has extremely harmful effects to adolescent brain development, yet people still gamble — why?
Why are people enticed to chase the high of winning a bet resulting in complete ignorance to the damage they’re doing to themselves?
The same could be asked about a thousand different scenarios with the same answer. Addiction.
People are addicted because they enjoy the feeling it gives them, with some people spending their whole lives chasing that high. The feeling of winning a bet leaves the winner craving for more, which is where the addiction starts.
Sadly, I see gambling addictions every day in this school.
There are kids huddled around their phones betting on the latest sports game or who will win some fight. If asked, none of them will admit they have an issue or that it’s causing harm to their brains because they don’t realize it — they won’t until it’s too late.
I don’t understand why people won’t do anything about online gambling; although it is technically illegal, kids still do it.
In the U.S., the average legal gambling age in each state varies from 18-21, which is currently a controversial debate. Despite the dispute, most believe underaged betting should not be allowed due to the irreparable damage caused to developing brains.
Teens need to stop betting the little money they have on these apps and start thinking about their futures. No one wants to be that crazy relative who has to live off their parents income for the rest of their life, so stop gambling.
Jonah C • Jan 15, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Gambling among youth is definitely an issue. I remember when I was back in third grade, my grandpa had taught me how to play Blackjack when we were sitting at the kitchen table. Now with the internet available to most people in the world (Especially kid’s and teens) Some might get the wrong impression about gambling at a young age.
Brett B. • Jan 13, 2026 at 11:25 am
I completely agree that teen gambling is an issue, and people don’t realize how big of an issue it really is. I know I’ve even had my own personal experiences with gambling (even if I came out on top). Though, I think a good alternative to gambling and still getting a sort of high could be mock gambling, as I call it, which is just gambling but the currency isn’t provided by you but rather whoever is running the gambling, and any currency “gambled” is returned to the person running the session afterwards. Those involved still get to enjoy the hobby of gambling, while in a safe environment with 0 risk and only the outcome of entertainment.