The average teen hears 84 references to drugs, alcohol or tobacco every day just by listening to popular music, according to a study from the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine.

Researchers went through the lyrics of the most popular songs of 2005 to find explicit references to drugs, alcohol or tobacco. About 77% of rap music had such mentions, followed by 36% in country music, and 14% of rock music. Because the average teen listens to 2.4 hours of music a day, the researchers were able to come up with the 84 references per day figure. This study appears in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

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Labels: influences, media, music