This paper reevaluates the pervasive moral didacticism in adolescent literature and the influence of social control on works intended for young readers. Children’s literature, including adolescent literature, served a pronounced educational and socialization role until the 19th century, often neglecting the literary and aesthetic functions; narratives were sometimes unrealistic and naive, while the fates of characters were vehicles for teaching young recipients. Although contemporary literature reflects a changing landscape, social oversight remains a significant factor in adolescent literature, as adult authors create works for youth that they believe children need and want to read, thereby limiting their reading choices and freedom. It was only from the 1960s onward that certain themes previously considered taboo, such as issues of addiction, sexuality, and questioning authority, began to infiltrate adolescent literature. In modern adolescent literature, such themes are prevalent, despite ongoing forms of censorship. This paper will analyze literary texts in which the main characters encounter drugs and alcohol, problematizing the didactic nature of contemporary adolescent literature and the methods through which moral lessons are intended to be conveyed to recipients. Literary paradigms from domestic adolescent literature (Rosie Kugli: Nisam ti rekla... and Nada Mihelčić: Zeleni pas) will be compared to works from contemporary foreign adolescent literature (John Green: Looking for Alaska and Anonymous: Go Ask Alice), identifying similarities and differences in the approaches of domestic and foreign authors. The paper will employ narratological analysis, as well as studies on contemporary adolescent literature and social surveillance and control.