Youth Culture Today with Walt Mueller

One measure of cultural change that’s been coming out annually since 1998 is the Beloit College Mindset List. The list tells us what has always been true or not true for incoming college freshman. Th…

Now that all of our schools are open and back in full-swing, I thought I would tell you about what researchers have heard from high school students regarding the questions they’re asking about educat…

Several weeks ago, a 14-year-old high school freshman name Connor Halsa went on a fishing trip with his family to Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods. As Connor was patiently waiting to hook a fish his lin…

If you’ve ever had a family game night, you are most likely familiar with the game called would you rather? You might have used questions like would you rather team up with wonder woman or captain ma…

As a youth culture analyst there’s one question I get asked more often than any other: “What’s the greatest problem facing teenagers today?” The one-word answer is very simple: sin. It’s the same gre…

Our friends at the Barna Institute have released a new report on members of Gen Z and spirituality that is titled “The Open Generation”. There’s some encouraging news for those who love and lead kids…

I recently read a thought-provoking quote from the eighteenth century writer Samuel Johnson. Johnson wrote, “Language is the dress of thought; every time you talk, your mind is on parade.” Immediatel…

In our North American culture, one of the only rites of passage we have from childhood to adulthood is the day that teenager passes their driver’s test and gets their driver’s license. As parents, we…

As Christian parents, what can we do to help our teens weather the inevitable storm of negative peer pressure in a way that brings honor and glory to their heavenly father? First, realize that negati…

One of the most alarming trends in today’s youth culture is a growing sense of entitlement. It’s especially prevalent among those children and teens living on the receiving end of a silver spoon. On …

Today, I want to offer a word of encouragement and perspective to the parents who may be listening. I’ve made an effort to be a good parent. I’ve made many, many mistakes. I’ve struggled from time to…

For the last forty-eight years, researchers at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan have been monitoring drug trends among teenagers, and reporting their findings annually …

God has made us for relationships, and the primary human relationships for which we’ve been made are those with our family. It’s no secret that one of the primary trends undermining the health of our…

A recent article in Teen Vogue’s online magazine is titled “influencer parents and the kids who had their childhood made into content.” As the title indicates, the article talks about the parents who…

With the use of cannabis on the rise and increasingly accepted in our culture, it’s important that we reckon with the fact that its use does have an effect on one’s cognitive and psychological proces…

The word pornography is rooted in the Greek word porneia, which means to practice prostitution, sexual immorality, or fornication. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul frequently used this word in …

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks this question: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer: “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever!” The Gospel is about God in His mercy and grace doing for us w…

Many members of Generation Z are either delaying getting their driver’s license, or not getting a driver’s license at all. Generation Z includes all those born between 1997 and 2012. When most of us …

Parents, we can’t buy into the widespread cultural cynicism regarding children and teenagers as difficulties or burdens. The psalmist writes, “Don’t you see that kids are God’s best gift? The fruit o…

Anorexia Nervosa is a medical term which means “nervous loss of appetite.” In recent years, anorexia has been on the rise, fueled in many ways by society’s pressure to be thin and to be perfect, an e…