Saber vs Conocer
 

“I’ts essential that they explain clearly the risks of drinking alcohol at an early age because it’s better that teenagers know the facts.”

Es esencial que expliquen con claridad los riesgos de beber alcohol a una edad temprana porque es mejor que los jóvenes sepan los hechos.


Could sepan be replaced with conozcan here?

Many thanks in advance.

Using conocer instead of saber won't work in this situation. Knowing facts, information, or how to do something always calls for saber.
Use conocer with people you've met, places you've been to or things you're familiar with (usually indicating intimate knowledge because you have touched, handled, or studied the thing).

The two verbs can overlap only when the thing known is an abstract.

There are also other options. For example:

Conocer is the direct opposite of the intended verb here: it's about experiential knowledge, and the point of the given sentence is that by imparting intellectual knowledge the teenagers might avoid learning the hard way.

Muchas gracias a todos.