The ym360 Trends and Culture Update (Vol. 25)

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

• Interesting article from the NY Times on how those wonderful little emoticons have made their way into formal business communication. Interesting trend, as of course, we all know they started as teenagers expressing themselves in IM's and texts.
• Really interesting infographic called Facebook by the numbers. Some pretty interesting stuff here.
• The Missouri law that banned Facebook relationships between students and teachers is repealed due to unconstitutionality.
• The fine folks at FYI passed along this helpful resource for parents talking with their children about the Internet.
• The iPod turns 10. Here's a great article on how it has changed music. Here is a trend I have noticed, I'm sure you have too. iPods seem to be more for tweens and/or middle schoolers. As soon as teens get their first phone, the iPod goes bye-bye. Wonder what the future holds for the device.

Youth Culture & Entertainment

• New UN Report shows that global unemployment among teens has risen to a whopping 12.7%.
• Harry Potter is gone. And soon the DVD's of the movies will be gone as well. Looks like Warner Bros. is pulling all copies of the movies from stores in an effort to control future releases in a manner similar to the Disney model.
• Studies have long shown that girls tend to read more than boys. There's a new imprint called MOVE Books that's aimed at engaging tween and teen guys in books aimed at them. As an English Lit major and publisher, I think this rules.
• As we'll often do, here's a link to the Billboard Hot 100 which measures top songs by their play across all platforms. I like this site because you can actually watch what undoubtedly many of your students and/or their friends are listening to. But, as always, watch at your own discretion.

A Glance At Recent Research

• So, are you smarter if you have more Facebook friends? A new study says, "Yes." (kind of)
• This interesting study has been making the rounds, but it's probably worth revisiting. Study shows about half of teens admit to being shy, but a smaller % may have troubling anxiety disorder.
• New study shows that teens are "50 percent more likely to crash in the first month of having a driver's license than they are after a full year of experience driving on their own."
• Not sure what to make of this study, but it's interesting nonetheless: "Teens' soda consumption tied to violent behavior."
• Now this is super fascinating: New study shows that Teen IQ's, brains can change over time.

That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of November 7th.

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.