The ym360 Trends And Culture Update (Vol. 43)

Here's the latest edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture Update, a regular look at research 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.)

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.
• 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

• The Truth About Teenagers, The Internet, And Privacy
• Millennials Are Moving Away From Traditional Payment Options
• New Trend Among Tweens and Teens: Kamcord
• How do you solve a problem like Yik Yak?
• 5 top social media campaigns of 2014

Trends, Culture, & Entertainment

• 'Alex From Target' meme turns regular employee into Internet superstar
• Is Barbie Obsolete?
• Too Busy for a Summer Job? Why America’s Youth Lacks Basic Work Skills
• Fewer teens drink at parties in communities with ‘social host’ laws
• 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

• Kids Who Make Bad Decisions When They’re Younger Have More Problems When They Get Older
• Teen Binge Drinking Linked To Long Term Brain Damage
• Study: Symptoms of mental illness in children and adolescents do not appear to be increasing.
• Occasional marijuana use does not appear to affect teens’ school performance, but heavy marijuana use is associated with slightly lower exam scores
• Girls with higher levels of “internalized sexualization” earned lower grades in school and scored lower on standardized tests

That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one in the next week or so.

[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.]