If her son is really into something bad himself, it's only a matter of time. But, I'm not sure it will matter. There will be some excuse about how he's "too smart for his own good," and was bored with the mundane life of a teen, so he had to spice it up to nourish his intellectual woes. (rolls eyes.)
The whole one-upmanship is really a pain sometimes.
As for her daughter, maybe she is "gifted," but if she can't apply herself and focus, then she's lazy, too. Bad combination.
I had a friend who was always this way. Every single story I told, they had a better one, or a friend who had it worse, or THEY had it worse (or better.) Finally, I just started saying, "Wow, you win! Mine isn't NEARLY as bad as yours." Or, on the whole, "my child is great," deal . . . I once told a lady, "Ya know, when I had my baby, I thought I'd be happy if she was a whiz, but in truth? I'm just thrilled that she's HAPPY and enjoying her childhood and having a blast!"
Sometimes, parents try to get their kids to grow up too fast. Sad, really.