The ym360 Trends And Culture Update (Vol. 31)

You've asked us for it, and we listened. Back by popular demand, it's the ym360 Trends & Culture Update, a twice monthly look at studies 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.)

We Want To Equip You And Those You Serve

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. (For a real-life example of what this looks like, check out this post from ym360 Contributor Aaron Kirkpatrick.) 
• 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

• Study Finds Link Between Media Use And Relationship Satisfaction
• Nearly half of US teens now own an iPhone
• Snapchat Message Volume Triples To 150 Million Messages A Day, But Hold On To Your Hype
• Study shows teens text and drive numbers on the rise
• 10 Tips For Keeping Tech In Check, Family Edition
• The digital world of teens [infographic]
• A Final Text: Unfinished Text Message Is A Sober Reminder of the Dangers of Texting and Driving

Culture & Entertainment

• “How Post-Christian is U.S. Society?” Fascinating study and infographic. 
• Is Your Youth Ministry Reaching Post-Christian Teenagers?
• Is pornography changing how teens view sex? (NOTE: This article is a fascinating and important discussion of how pornography is damaging teenagers' (especially boys) perceptions and attitudes toward sex, particularly as it pertains to sexual assault. Be advised: it contains some pretty frank language including descriptions of the kind of pornography teens are seeing online.)
• Teen Discretionary Spending Climbing
• Study shows unemployment numbers for those under 25 is at 22.9%
• 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

• Vehicle Crashes Are Still No. 1 Killer Of U.S. Teens
• Study from MTV looks at the changing definition of adulthood according to millennials
• Teens' Brains Are More Sensitive to Rewarding Feedback from Peers
• Study: Teens Watch More Mobile Video Than Older Peers

That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of May 6.

[**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.] 

Want more ym360 Trends & Culture? Sign up for a ym360 User Account and receive Trends & Culture Updates in our bi-weekly ym30 Newsletter.