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Researchers from SAMHSA and RTI International discovered that an alarming number of teenagers experience major depression. In fact, 1 in every 12 teenagers (8.5%) aged 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive episode (MDE) within a one year period.

• 1 in 8 teen girls (12.7%) experienced a major depressive episode
• 1 in 21 teen boys (4.6%) experienced a major depressive episode

The likelihood of a teenager experiencing a MDE increases with age.

Among teens with a past year MDE, how many are impaired by the MDE in at least one of four role domains (i.e., home, school/work, family relationships, or social life)?

• 1 in 5 (21.0%) reported very severe impairment lasting an average 58.4 days
• 1 in 2 (48.3%) reported severe impairment lasting an average 25.8 days
• 1 in 4 (25.0%) reported moderate impairment lasting an average 14.1 days
• 1 in 19 (5.3%) reported mild impairment lasting an average 11.7 days
• 1 in 250 (0.4%) reported no impairment

For more details, read the full report. It is saddening to see so many teenagers being crippled by depression. Based on these statistics, there is a good chance someone in your youth group is experiencing a major depressive episode.

For Discussion:
- Aside from prayer, what are some effective ways to help teens prevent or cope with depression?

[via MSNBC]

In March, the Parents Television Council analyzed 14 hours of daytime music video programming on BET and MTV and discovered explicit content (e.g., sex, language, and violence) occurred once every 38 seconds (95.8 per hour). It is 7.5 times greater than the rate of explicit content on prime time television’s Family Hour (i.e., once every 4.8 minutes).

Explicit Content on BET and MTV

• 48% sex
  >> once every 90 seconds
• 37% explicit language
  >> once every 1.7 minutes
• 10% violence
  >> once every 6.3 minutes
• 9% drugs use/sales
• 3% other illegal activity

The full study also includes a similar December 2007 analysis. Most agree that exposure to such content has negative effects on youth. It certainly influences teen culture.

But what do you think? Particularly if you a youth pastor, how are music videos affecting the generation you are trying to reach? How do you think music videos have affected the MTV Generation’s transition into adulthood?

[via Baptist Press]

CNN reports at least 1 in 4 teen girls ages 14 to 19 in America has a sexually transmitted disease.

Who has an STD?

• 50% of black teen girls
• 20% of white teen girls
• 20% of Mexican-American teen girls

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted the research. It is heartbreaking to realize that so many teen girls have made the moral mistake of sex before marriage and are suffering because of it.

According to The Barna Group and LifeWay Research, 1 in 2 teens in America attend church. But sadly some of these church-going teens are also included in the statistic of STD carriers. So it brings up one of the age old questions of youth ministry:

How can we get the message of abstinence to stick?

For Discussion:
- Are there any youth ministry methods or success stories that you think effectively get teens to practice abstinence?

Looking for some church facility inspiration for your innovative youth group? Check out these two dimensional sticker lamps created by Italian designer Alicero Signoli.

[via Trend Hunter]

How inappropriate is modern music?

According to the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, quite a bit. Researchers analyzed Billboard magazine’s top 279 most popular songs of 2005 to determine what percentage of songs referenced tobacco, alcohol, and drug use. Here are some highlights from their findings:

• 1 in 3 songs portray substance use (33.3%)
  >> 4 in 5 rap songs (77%)
  >> 1 in 3 country songs (36%)
  >> 1 in 5 R&B/hip-hop songs (20%)
  >> 1 in 7 rock songs (14%)
  >> 1 in 10 pop songs (9%)
• 1 in 25 songs have antiuse messages (4%)
• The average adolescent is exposed to approximately 84 references to explicit substance use daily in popular songs, and this exposure varies widely by musical genre.

Although the study did not analyze the frequency of sex and violence in popular music, 46% of substance use references were associated with sex, and 29% were associated with violence. This should come as no surprise to youth pastors. But it is surprising from the perspective that the average teenager hears 588 messages a week about substance use compared to one message a week from the youth group. A youth pastor better make his message count.

[via Rolling Stone]

According to The Barna Group, born again Christians in the U.S. are predicted to spend $1 billion on media products for children younger than 18 this Christmas. Unfortunately, many of them are concerned about the media content of the products they buy.

• 70% of those who bought downloads for their kids’ mobile phones were concerned about the content 
• 46% of video game purchasers were concerned about the content 
• 33% of CD purchasers were concerned about the content
• 31% of magazine purchasers were concerned about the content
• 26% of DVD purchasers were concerned about the content
• 24% of computer software purchasers were concerned about the content

Obviously, if parents are concerned about the content, they should not buy it. Unfortunately, somewhere between a quarter and a half of all Christian parents still buy the media products.

Questionable content often shapes culture in unquestionably negative ways. It makes the jobs of children’s pastors and youth ministers more difficult when even the Christian students subject themselves to negative influences, particularly when parents are the ones buying the bad influences.

Last month, an Ohio State University press release highlighted research about how parents’ divorce hurts teens in different ways depending on race and ethnic groups. According to the research, parental divorce or separation hurts Asian American and Caucasian teens the most followed by African American teens and then Hispanic teens.

How Divorce Affects Them

• Asian American Teens
  Before divorce, they and Caucasian teens are accustomed to the most advantages in terms of parental resources and well-being. After divorce, Asian American teens were most bothered by the fewer social resources (talking to their parents and spending time with them). Economic resources may not be a factor because Asian American families tend to do well economically.
• Caucasian Teens
  As stated above, these teen are accustomed to many advantages before divorce. After divorce, they were equally bothered by the shortages of economic and social resources.
• African American Teens
  Before divorce, African American teens were better off in terms of parental resources and well-being than Hispanic teens. After divorce, they were most bothered by the fewer economic resources.
• Hispanic Teens
  According to OSU sociology professor Yongmin Sun, “In this study, Hispanics started off with a large number of difficulties and disadvantages in their lives. When that’s the case, family crises like divorce may not add much to the original problems.”

Just because divorce is more common in an ethnic or racial group, it doesn’t necessarily make it easier for children who are going through such a family disruption.
- Yongmin Sun :: associate professor of sociology :: Ohio State University

In other words, the prevalence of divorce in a culture does not affect how much it hurts. Just because “everyone” is getting divorced, does not condition us and make it easier for us to accept divorce. Parental divorce hurts teenagers. As for how much it hurts, it seems dependent on how drastically divorce alters a teen’s way of life with his family.

[via Iconoculture & Ypulse]

A recent study by The Barna Group researched the spirituality of teens as well as what they want and learn from church. Here is what they discovered:

In a typical week,

• 72% of teens pray
• 48% attend  a worship service at a church
• 35% attend Sunday school
• 33% attend youth group
• 32% participate in a small group
• 31% read the Bible

What teens expect at church:

• 45% of teens expect “to worship or make a connection with God”
• 42% expect “to better understand what I believe”
• 34% expect “to spend time with close friends”
• 34% expect “to get encouraged or inspired”
• 30% expect “to volunteer or help others”

What teens prefer for church:

• 39% of teens prefer a church that teaches how their faith should influence everyday decisions and lifestyle
• 16% prefer a church that teaches the traditions and background of their faith
• 45% do not care

What topics taught at church shaped teens’ views in the last 12 months:

• 65% said moral and ethical standards
• 62% relationships
• 55% faith traditions
• 50% evangelism
• 35% media, movies, and television
• 30% money and finances
• 28% the supernatural world
• 27% leisure activities
• 26% government and law
• 22% art and music
• 21% health issues
• 9% technology

Overall, the research is not surprising. Sadly, it affirms that a large portion of teens just don’t care. It is not that they simply just don’t care about the teaching style; the low levels of weekly spiritual commitment also prove that they don’t care enough to invest their time into spiritual things.

Obviously, hearing God’s Word is not enough to transform many teenagers into being doers of God’s Word. So what is needed to engage these teenagers in a way that causes them to start caring enough to do God’s Word? I believe that meaningful relationships are the key. The measure of your relationship with teenagers directly affects the measure of the influence you have with them. And your influence can dramatically shape how they live their lives.