The ym360 Trends And Culture Update (Vol. 32)

You've asked us for it, and we listened. Back by popular demand, it's the ym360 Trends & Culture Update, a twice monthly look at studies and articles designed to keep youth ministers, adult volunteers, and parents in the loop on what's happening in youth culture. (Read why we think it's important here.)

We Want To Equip You And Those You Serve

Consider using this article to equip your community in the following ways:

• Use the PRINT and/or EMAIL buttons at the top and bottom of the page to share this content with your ministry team and especially your students' parents. (For a real-life example of what this looks like, check out this post from ym360 Contributor Aaron Kirkpatrick.) 
• Repost it on your blog or church website
• SHARE IT with your youth ministry networks. This is a great way to help your peeps!

Without further ado, here are some relevant links we think you should know about. 

Social Media & Technology

• Study: Texting while driving now leading cause of death for teen drivers
• Push To End Teens' Distracted Driving Targets Parents, Peers.
• Pew Internet Report on Teens and Technology 2013
• Facebook Home Hits 'About 1 Million' Downloads, Looks to the Future

Culture & Entertainment

• Interesting article on millennials and their oftentimes quirky interview habits.
• California law begins condom delivery service for teens
• The average US family spends over $1,000 on prom. 
• Teen Sexual Activity vs. Teen Sexual Integrity. . . .
• Coca-Cola Vows to Reduce Advertising to Kids
• Every Every Every Generation Has Been the Me Me Me Generation (A rebuttle to TIME's recent cover story on Millennials.) 
• The Hyperconnected Teenager: An Infographic
• What movies are your students and/or their friends watching? Click here to check out which movies won the weekend. 
• Stay in touch with what your students and/or their friends are listening to. The Billboard Hot 100 tracks songs across all mediums. By clicking here you can listen to and watch the videos for the most popular songs in the country right now. (NOTE: Use discernment when previewing this content as, sadly, much of it is objectionable.)

A Glance At Recent Research

• Study shows 72% of U.S. gamers now play online.
• CIA Operative to Coffee Barista: Millennial Dream Careers
• Study: Violent Video Games Numb Teens To Brutality
• Seventy-three percent of parents report mostly positive relationships with children ages 18 to 29.
• Most Suicidal Teens Sought Medical Advice Within A Year Of Death, Study Shows

That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of May 27.

[**Note: By nature, some of the articles and subject matter we deal with in Trends & Culture often conflicts with our beliefs and ethics as Christ-followers. Our purpose in linking to this type of material is to simply give you the option of knowing the culture your students are surrounded by. Use discretion to determine which links to click on.] 

Want more ym360 Trends & Culture? Sign up for a ym360 User Account and receive Trends & Culture Updates in our bi-weekly ym30 Newsletter.