If your kid is using a graphing calculator, that could mean they're doing their homework. Or it could be a sign of a drug problem, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Pixabay - pixabay.com

The federal agency recently compiled a list of "common place your teen could be hiding drugs" for snooping parents. Here's what they came up with:

Alarm clocks

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Graphing calculators

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Highlighters

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Shoes

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Candy wrappers

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Posters

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Heating vents

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Stuffed animals

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Cars

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

Game consoles

DEA - getsmartaboutdrugs.gov

OK... Yes, several of these "hiding places" seem comically impractical.

But the question remains: what's the purpose of this guide, beyond promoting household raids?

After all, researchers have found that teens are less likely to share information with their parents if they think the parents have secretly gone through their possessions. Another study found that snooping actually reinforces surreptitious behavior in teens, leading them to hide more from their parents.

This parent guide is a reflection of a DEA mentality "that drugs are everywhere and everyone is a potential criminal," The Washington Post's Christopher Ingraham wrote.

Drug Policy Alliance - drugpolicy.org

What's missing from the guide is an acknowledgment that teen drug use is at a record-low in the U.S., according to a 2016 survey conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Though experts haven't been able to pinpoint the reason for the gradual decline, one theory is that information about the relative dangers of different drugs is more widely accessible.

In other words, honesty and transparency — rather than snooping and distrust — appear to be more effective at deterring teen drug use.

[H/T The Washington Post]