Watch part of the preview of the second season of "Euphoria" 0:42
(CNN) --
One teen is carrying a suitcase full of drugs, another is the victim of a rape, and many sex scenes feature frontal nudity.
That's right "Euphoria," which might be your favorite show, but understandably isn't the model you want for your own teens.
So what do you do if they're already watching it?
The most underrated parenting tool is the TV remote's pause button, according to therapist John Duffy, who specializes in working with teens, parents, couples and families.
Use it to pause violence, substance abuse, sexually explicit content or even morally gray situations and start a conversation between you and your child, added Duffy, who is based in Chicago.
As kids and teens watch more entertainment on their personal devices, it can be hard to know exactly what they're consuming.
And with shows like "13 Reasons Why," "Game of Thrones" and, more recently, "Euphoria," the content that teens talk about with their friends seems to have gotten darker and more mature in its themes in recent years, he said. Lisa Damour, an Ohio-based clinical psychologist.
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It can be alarming to see your child go from laughing at SpongeBob SquarePants to being glued to a show where teens get high, have sex, and engage in violence, but the answer may not lie in a sermon or an outright ban. said Lisa Ramirez, a child and adolescent psychologist at the MetroHealth System in Cleveland.
"The challenge is that once they hit 15, you can't really regulate what they watch," Damour said.
"The effort to be useful to them has to come much more in the form of having meaningful conversations."
As uncomfortable as it may be, having open conversations with younger children, tweens, and teens about the shows they watch can help them put it into context, develop their value system, and know they have support if they find themselves in difficult situations experts point out.
"It's better to be in that conversation and use that pause button to talk about it than to be completely on the sidelines and not know what your child is seeing," says Duffy.
Starting early, being aware, and directing questions can help your family build positive experiences, even if you're not excited about what your children are seeing.
Conversations don't have to be limited to sex, drugs, and rock and roll;
It's helpful for families to talk to kids about calmer things, too, Ramirez said.
What do you think of how that character was treated?
What would you do if you were in his place?
Have you ever seen someone get left out at school?
"We can't always protect them from everything, so we have to help build that ability to work through things and understand when something doesn't feel right," Ramirez said.
An outright ban may not work when it comes to shows deemed inappropriate, but engaging in conversations can help, experts say.
Know what they are seeing
"It is impossible for my children to see something explicit", you might be thinking.
And you're probably wrong, Duffy pointed out.
"Children tell me they're seeing something their parents are sure they're not seeing," he said.
Even if they're not watching it on the TV in the living room, they could be on their phone or at friends' houses, he added.
(Gone are the days when TV shows were only watched on the only TV in the house.)
It's important to start by becoming familiar with what you're seeing and even seeing it yourself, Damour explained.
A show like "Euphoria" can sound a lot better or a lot worse, depending on who's describing it to you, Ramirez added.
If you can stand it — and if your teen will allow it — try watching his shows with him so you can give him context and ask him questions in real time, Duffy said.
It can be awkward to watch and discuss a scene of adult behavior next to your teen, but it can help to be clear about it.
"Be very explicit about it," Duffy said.
Try this: "We need to talk about sex because it's important. I'm not comfortable with it, and I don't expect you to be comfortable with it," Duffy suggested.
Then, they can come to an agreement on how they are going to talk about it, for example, setting times to talk only in short intervals, he added.
lead with questions
Let's say it turns out that your child is watching something you're not comfortable with.
Your urge may tell you to talk to him about why he's inappropriate and why he can't see you again, says Damour.
Instead, pause and talk to them.
It starts with questions about how they reacted to the content, why they were interested in watching it and whether they've experienced things like the ones they saw on the show, Ramírez said.
You may find that they, too, are concerned about the same things you are or have questions you can answer, says Damour.
You can also spark a conversation about your values as a family and how you expect them to respond to the pressures they may encounter as a teenager, he added.
Help shape what they see as normal
A teenage girl told Damour that she was watching a rape show, and when her father responded to the scene with shock, she felt validated, Damour said.
Her father's reaction reassured the teen that she was right to be disturbed by the violence, Damour explained.
Media portrayals can normalize sexual violence for teens, Damour noted.
Knowing what they're seeing can fuel conversations about what they might see as normal and what might not, Duffy said.
Helping them shape those perceptions can be especially important when it comes to representations of people of color or LGBTQ, Ramirez said.
Representations of these groups can often be incomplete or inaccurate, and watching the shows together opens the door to discuss stereotypes and celebrate shows that present diversity in a more positive light, she added.
Some of these topics may seem difficult and complicated, but a straightforward approach is often helpful, Ramirez explained.
And while you can't determine everything they see, you can guide the way your teens think about it, he added.
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