ym360 Trends and Culture Update (Vol 13)

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

• Are you a gamer? Know students who are? This short press release shows that Facebook games are poised to take a chunk out of the console-based gaming market. What do you think? Will Facebook games ever surpass console-based gaming? (h/t Social Times)
• Nintendo plans to release a Wii 2 this summer. XBox Kinect is still king of the "motion" craze with 10 Million Kinect units sold, followed by Sony's PlayStation Move at 8 million. (h/t YPulse, Mashable)
• Is Twitter in trouble? (h/t YPulse)
• This is a Social Media infographic we tweeted last week, but it is too good not to put back up. Interesting insight into social media saturation and which networks teens and tweens are on.
• If you're in the habit of taking photos of your youth group activities and posting them online (especially on Facebook), you have to check out animoto.com. It's a site that lets you create simple, stunning, and free animated slideshows from your pics. Definitely check it out. Check out a few more Facebook photo apps here. (h/t Mashable)

A Glance At Recent Research

• A new study shows that suicide is higher among gay teens living in "politically conservative areas that lack school programs supporting gay rights."
• New study finds that "driver error accounts for the majority of U.S. motor vehicle crashes involving teenagers."
• New study by FDA shows that prescription drug abuse is up among teenagers: "Among 13- to 17-year-olds, 28 percent of teens surveyed admitted to taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them."
• The National Instate of Mental Health seems to have broken new ground on teenagers ability to multitask. Based on a 20 year study, researchers seem to have found that teenagers' brains have developed the ability to effectively multitask, which would be truly remarkable. I'm guessing there will be further research done, but it's worth paying attention to.

The World of Youth-Culture & Entertainment

• Interesting article about Demi Lovato's recent bout with an eating disorder and "emotional issues." This article sheds a ton of light on the constant pressure girls face regarding their image. It puts more emphasis on the importance of helping teenagers understand their identity in Christ and their high value as one of God's children.
• "Rio" won big at this week's box office. Did any of your students go see it?
• In a Bermuda Triangle-esque convergence of pop-culture phenomena, Glee is set to cover Rebecca Black's "Friday."

Just For Fun

• In case you haven't seen it, Team Mobile's spoof of the upcoming Royal Wedding is hilarious. It's very well done and seems like something students would really get a kick out of. (h/t Mashable)

That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of May 2.

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.