The ym360 Trends and Culture Update (Vol. 20)

At ym360, we're committed to equipping youth workers. While most of our energy is dedicated to doing this in the areas of Bible Study Resources and Training, we believe it's valuable for youth workers and parents to stay in the loop on what is happening in youth culture and culture in general. (Read why we think it's important here.) A couple times a month, we'll do a post like this one, where we link to relevant articles and studies that give you a better glimpse into the world teenagers are living in.

[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.]

We'd love to know that we're not just equipping you, but those you serve, as well. Consider using this article to equip your community in the following ways:

• Email this link to your adult volunteers
• Repost it on your blog or church website
• Email the link to all your parents to help equip them to better understand their teen's world
• 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.

Some Social Media & Tech News 

• 35 percent of parents in the U.S. plan to use social media to help with their back-to-school shopping. (h/t YPulse)
• Interesting research about smartphone addiction in the UK. There seem to be some real parallels to our usage here in the US.
• This is one of the most amazing infographics you will see. Period. It's stunning how differently we use the Internet now compared to 5 years ago. (h/t Trendwatch)
• A glimpse at the always-telling Top Twitter trends for the month of July.
• Missouri Law outlaws teacher-student relationships on Facebook.

A Glance At Recent Research 

• Study shows that homosexual teens are "more vulnerable to homelessness than their heterosexual peers."
• Study shows significant percentage of teens take higher doses of prescription meds than prescribed.
• New York study shows that of the 8th graders who admit to drinking alcohol, three-quarters of them are consuming the "alcopop" drinks, such as "joose" and "4-loco" (which, the article points out, are extremely dangerous for teens).

The World of Youth-Culture & Entertainment

• Keep an eye on this one: The Huffington Post, the liberal news outlet that has garnered a lot of attention lately for shoddy and unethical news gathering practices, is launching a version aimed at high school students.
• This is a really interesting (and short) editorial about MTV's influence, written on the occasion of the network's 30th Anniversary.
• As a guy who LOVES good music from so many different genres, I look at the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 and groan. Such. Crummy. Music. But, many of your students (or at least their peers) are listening to this. And it is shaping their worldview, whether we like it or not. If you can bear it, you can listen or watch videos from this site. But you'd be braver than me . . . :)

  That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of August 1st.

Want more ym360 Trends & Culture? Click the image below to sign up for the ym360 Newsletter.

Any specific study or link stand out to you? Disagree with anything? Let us know by sharing your thoughts below.