It’s a dreary and almost rainy day here which is a great day to write the Friday Five. So here go the top 5 things in teenage culture that happened or that you need to know as a parent from this week.

1. Digital Wellbeing Guidelines- The Center for Humane Technology has put out a list of guidelines to help keep our tech use in balance as we deal with a prolonged quarantine. It is pretty apparent that screen use has gone up since we started quarantine and thanks to social distancing, the use of Zoom and Facetime have gone up as well. We are still able to connect with one another via technology but without proper parameters around when and how much we use it, we could be spending upwards of 12 hours per day on or around tech of some kind. So, go search out and find the list of guidelines and see what could be useful for your family during this time. Use this time to hit the reset button on technology usage and also hit the reset button on what it means to have family time where it can be a no tech zone.
2. Perfect Me- It’s a free body editor app that allows the user to make themselves look “prettier” and to “beautify” themselves. The app will remove blemishes, thin your waist, completely alter the shape of your face, make your legs longer and more… in real time. While the premise is good, the probably with the app is that it will give our teens a false sense of identity and looks. They will start to judge themselves harder if they use the app because they will see what they “could be”. Check to see if your teen has the app and if they understand that it’s not a true representation of them or their friends. Remind them that they are made in the image of God and that no app is going to make them look any better in God’s eyes than they already do.
3. 5 Good Books- A Friday Five within the Friday Five. These are good books specifically on spiritual formation and written by authors that your teens probably have not read. The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris, The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton, The Scandal of Redemption by Oscar Romero, The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen, and Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman. Although these books are maybe “off the wall” compared to the books that you or your teen might read, these will help to get their minds off of corona and into something a little better. And with summer coming up… who doesn’t like spending time in a hammock under a nice shade tree reading a good book?
4. Been Called a “Karen”? – If you have been, just know that it’s not a good thing. The meme Karen has been around for a bit but refers to a middle aged upper- or middle-class woman who is displeased with well, just about everything. It started with “Karen’s” being the type of person that always has to ask to “speak with manager” but has now evolved into a way to describe a class of entitled people who can’t see beyond their own desires and needs. In a nutshell, it may make for a funny meme, but it is not the nicest of things to say to someone. So just be aware that if your teen is calling you or someone you know a Karen, its best to have them knock it off. I’m guilty of using the term myself but I also understand that some people take real offense to being called that and also that there is a time and a place for the use of certain words as well.
5. Social Media Influencers- It is good to know just who your teens are looking towards with they are on TikTok for hours on end each day. Business Insider has put together a list of the top teen follows, and it would be worth your time to check it out. Just knowing who your teens are listening too, who they watch and what content is being viewed is a good step into seeing how your teens are reacting and responding to the culture around them. Kevin Hart, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and vlogger Emma Chamberlain are just a few of them but so many “teen next door” type influencers seem to be popping up daily. Be aware of what your teens are taking in and make sure that it is healthy for them spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Thanks for taking the time to read another edition of the Friday Five, until next time- Jeremy