The ym360 Trends And Culture Update (Vol. 44)

Here's the latest edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture Update, a regular look at research 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.)

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.
• 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

• Facebook Groups: Now there's an app for that
• Snapchat Now Lets You Send Money With That Message
• Take the Phone…Just Don’t Look at the Pictures

Trends, Culture, & Entertainment

• Smile, You’re Speaking Emoji
• Millennials aren't as self-obsessed as you think
• E-cigarette use triples among high schoolers
• 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

• Pressures of online life undermine teenage girls’ self-esteem
• Teenagers with anxiety problems need more targeted treatment
• Study: Students want to go to college, but are extremely debt averse
• Study: Gadgets before bed ruins teen's sleep
• Study: Earlier school start times have higher crash rates
• Study: Millennials and the Good Book
• Grade-School Bullying Takes a Toll on the Adolescent Brain

That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one in the next week or so.

[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.]