The ym360 Trends and Culture Update (Vol. 26)

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

• Millennials taking to Twitter. Yet, girls 12 to 17 more lilely than boys to tweet.
• We Tweeted these this week, but thought they were worth the repeat. From the fine folks at YPulse, a look forward to 2012 and and how technology trends will impact teens.
• The buzz surrounding the film adaptation of the Hunger Games feels similar to the buzz that the first Harry Potter flick generated. Catch the trailer here. It's a safe bet many of your students are anticipating the March release.

Youth Culture & Entertainment

• Gamers gone wild: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 sets new single day record. 6.3 million sold.
• Due to its popularity among older teens, this is probably worth noting: Mashable reports hackers are using the buzz around the latest Twilight film to infect unwitting users with malware and other viruses.
• This fascinating post from Kara Powell offers an interesting take on how we affirm teenagers and whether or not it might be actually hindering them.
• This is a fun post on the hottest video games of the holiday season. No doubt many of your students (and maybe you?) are already hoping Santa is reading this too.
• Immortals was the big winner over the weekend with a 32 million dollar take. The rated R flick attracted an overwhelmingly young male audience.

A Glance At Recent Research

• Study shows that 9 of 10 students have witnessed bullying on social networks.
• HOWEVER, the same study also found that students experience plenty of encouragement online as well, further showing the fickle and complex nature of students' online experience as it pertains to friendships.
• New study finds that teenage drinking linked to a higher risk of breast cancer as adults.
• This study is causing some noise. Study on teenager drug use found that the highest % of drug use is among white and Native American teens.
• This is the other study that is really causing a ruckus. Study finds that 48% of 7-12 graders sexually harassed in some form at school.
• Study done in UK finds the part of the brain that controls addictions is larger in regular video game players.
• New study shows that teens who help others (described as "pro-social" behaviors) are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
• Study finds that 61% of teens said that parents had been distracted by phone while teaching them to drive.

That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of November 28th.

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

  Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 12 years, almost exclusively writing, designing, and developing curriculum. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church's youth group, leading a small group, and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance. He is a teacher at heart and loves to challenge teenagers and youth workers alike through his writing and speaking.

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