Homeword's Weekly Culture Brief

March 2, 2012

HomeWord's Culture Brief is provided to help parents and ministry leaders stay current with today’s youth culture.

Google Hot Internet Searches - 3/2/12

1. cell phone jammer
2. rush limbaugh
3. dr seuss
4. dr. seuss
5. sheriff joe arpaio
6. andrew breitbart dead
7. cat in the hat
8. green eggs and ham
9. obama birth certificate
10. the lorax

Source: Google

Top 10 U.S. Websites - 3/2/12

1. Google
2. Facebook
3. YouTube
4. Yahoo!
5. Amazon.com
6. Wikipedia
7. eBay
8. Twitter
9. Linkedin (up one spot)
10. Craigslist (down one spot)

Source: Alexa

iTunes Top 10 Singles - 3/2/12

1. We Are Young - Fun.
2. Glad You Came - The Wanted
3. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
4. Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye
5. Set Fire to the Rain - ADELE
6. Live My Life - Far East Movement
7. Part of Me - Katy Perry
8. Starships - Nicki Minaj
9. Good Girl - Carrie Underwood
10. So Good - B.o.B.

Source: Apple iTunes

Top 10 TV Shows in Primetime - Week Ending 3/2/12

1. Academy Awards
2. Oscar's Red Carpet Live - 3(Special)
3. NCIS
4. Oscar's Red Carpet Live - 2(Special)
5.The Big Bang Theory
6. American Idol - Wednesday
7. The Voice
8. American Idol - Thursday
9. NCIS: Los Angeles
10. Person of Interest

Source: Nielsen Co.

Top 5 Most Viewed Videos on YouTube - This Week - 3/2/12

1. 2012 Oscars: Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Ryan Seacrest
2. Movie: The Movie
3. Dubstep Violin - Lindsey Stirling - Crystallize
4. Cristiano Ronaldo Amazing Backheel Goal
5. I Have Super Powers - Ray William Johnson Video

Source: YouTube

Top 5 Movies - Week Ending 3/2/12

1. Act of Valor
2. Tyler Perry's Good Deeds
3. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
4. Safe House
5. The Vow

Source: Variety

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Teen Drivers and Marijuana: A Dangerous Trend

A growing percentage of teens do not see marijuana use as a distraction while driving, and nearly one in five (19%) say they have gotten behind the wheel after smoking pot, a new study reports. In the study of nearly 2,300 11th- and 12th-graders across the country, commissioned by Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD, 70% of teens say marijuana use is "very" or "extremely" distracting to their driving, down from 78% in 2009. The findings reflect "a dangerous trend toward the acceptance of marijuana and other substances compared to our study of teens conducted just two years ago," says Stephen Wallace, senior adviser for policy, research and education at SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). Among teens who have driven after using marijuana, 36% say it presents no distraction when operating a vehicle. Nearly one in five (19%) say alcohol is no distraction.

Source: USA Today

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Teen Brains Particularly Vulnerable to Concussions

Teens may be more vulnerable to the effects of concussions than either adults or younger children, a new study says. In the study, teens had larger impairments on tests of working memory — the ability to process and store short-term information in the brain, which is needed for learning — six months after they suffered a concussion compared with adults and children. The region of the brain responsible for working memory, known as the frontal lobe, undergoes a growth spurt during adolescence, making it more fragile and susceptible to the effects of concussions, said study researcher David Ellemberg, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Montréal in Quebec. Teens between ages 13 and 16 who had experienced a concussion had worse working memory abilities compared with teens their age who had not had a concussion. This difference was not seen in children ages 9 to 12, or adults.

Source: Today

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"Bully-Victims" Three Times More Likely to Have Suicidal Thoughts by Age 11

In a paper published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the researchers found children who are both victims and bullies ('bully-victims'), are at highly increased risk of considering suicide, or have planned and engaged in suicidal or self-harming behavior by 11-12 years of age. These increased odds were not explained by other factors family circumstances or pre-existing emotional problems. The study used information collected from parents and teachers, as well as children, to see how common bullying or victim behavior was. Researchers found that, compared to children who were never bullied, 'bully-victims' were three times as likely to have suicidal thoughts, and that those who were bullied over a long period of time were six times more likely to consider suicide. Those who bully others but never become victims (pure bullies) were also at increased risk for suicide thoughts and suicidal or self-harming behaviour but the findings were not as consistent.

Source: MedicalXpress
 

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Items for this culture brief are compiled from Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch blog.