eh, probably has not much at all to do with the parents, and more to do with how marketing makes things "cool". i remember being a little kid and getting my weekly allowance and pedaling on down the the corner store to buy a bottle of "new york seltzer", because that was what was cool then. totally loved it, haven't seen the stuff in years. mom & dad didn't really have a say-so in what i spent my $2 on for that week, that's the magic of having your own allowance.
but come on, have you seen the commercials for red bull? they're **cartoons** where some guy drinks the swill and then is pretty much superman. sure, as adults, we take that whole "wiiiings!!!" thing as metaphor, but the kids?
baking fool, have you tasted red bull? it's beyond foul. no way on earth i'd even attempt to come up with a recipe that uses the stuff.
and, hey, Survivor, it's sad but true, little kiddos have been smoking for as long as there have been cigarettes. remember "stand by me" 20 years ago? the kids in there were puffing away in the treehouse...and it was a period movie set about *50* years ago.