As a mother and a candidate running to serve on Alabama’s State Board of Education, I am deeply concerned about a growing threat to our children that too many adults still underestimate: sports gambling.
Children and teens are uniquely vulnerable to addictive behaviors because their brains are still developing, specifically the systems responsible for impulse control and reward processing. Research from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shows that gambling addictions can begin forming as early as age 10 and can persist into adulthood. Locally, a report from the Alabama Policy Institute states that most adolescents have gambled for money before age 18.
What was once a problem confined largely to casinos has followed our children home, into their bedrooms, and onto their phones through sports betting apps and under-regulated prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. We have an obligation as parents and educators to raise awareness about this mounting threat to our kids.
The crisis is already upon us and growing rapidly. Studies show that problem gambling affects 4–5% of youth ages 12 to 17, compared to about 1% of adults. Young people are engaging in gambling behaviors at far higher rates than most parents realize, often in unregulated online environments. In fact, an estimated 159.6 million youth under 18 worldwide have gambled on commercial forms of gambling in just the past year alone.
Roughly 80% of high schoolers report having gambled for money in the last year, yet the risks go far beyond losing money. Youth who gamble are significantly more likely to engage in substance use, truancy, risky technology behaviors, depression, and other mental health struggles. Among all addictions, gambling is associated with the highest suicide rate. From financial harm to severe mental health consequences, gambling is every bit as dangerous as drugs or alcohol – and parents have a right to protect their children from engaging in potentially ruinous behavior.
Prediction markets escalate an already alarming situation. These platforms allow users to wager real money on everything from sports to cultural events, functioning much like FanDuel and DraftKings with the ability to put real currency on prop bets, parlays, and over-unders.
But unlike regulated sports betting platforms, prediction markets are completely unregulated at the state level. That means fewer consumer protections, weaker oversight, and looser age safeguards. While sportsbooks generally require users to be 21, prediction markets allow betting at 18 – the age of many high school seniors – placing these platforms squarely within reach of younger, impressionable students. Verifying a user’s age is often as simple as checking a box, making it easy for minors to slip through.
Making matters worse, betting platforms and prediction markets are increasingly advertised on TikTok and other social media platforms, with influencers promoting how “easy” it is to make money. These messages reach minors at scale, despite supposed age limits.
Gambling harm doesn’t stop with the individual; it ripples through families, classrooms and communities. With clear evidence that young people face outsize risks, Congress must act now. Prediction markets aren’t just unethical; they’re dangerous, and your child probably knows what they are and how to use them. It’s time for legislators to stop these dangerous actors and put America’s children first – Alabama’s youth deserve nothing less.
Emily Jones is a native of North Alabama and founder of the first Moms for Liberty chapter in the state seeking to fight for the preservation of parental rights and the protection of our children. Emily is a candidate running for State Board of Education in District 8.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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