In reply to the different opinions regarding informing the parents, the statement which I began with still stands:
“It’s hard to make such a blanket statement. It depends on the bochur, his needs, his environment, etc.”
Sometimes, (very often) it’s okay to “snitch”. The question we must always ask before informing on someone is: “Am I doing this in order to help/save/protect that person/others, or just because I enjoy being a snitch and getting the guy in trouble?”
Often, if a someone confided his trust in you, it was because he assumed that you wouldn’t tell others. If you break that trust, even if you’re only doing it for his benifit, it will backfire and from now on he will keep all of his struggles to himself, which is the worst.
However, I do believe that this can often quite comparable to drug usage or the like. [%30-%40 percent of internet usage is for terrible addictions that do great emotional (and obviously spiritual) damage.]
But it doesn’t make a difference how bad it is. Even for something like drugs, I would think twice before reporting. Will this help him or make it worse? It all depends on the situation.