Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

What's Hot? 04/28/23

Trending Today on Twitter - 4/28/23
 1. #NFLDraft
2. Jerry Springer
3. Texans
4. Will Levis
5. Colts
6. Ravens
7. Falcons
8. Lions
9. Anderson
10. Bryce Young
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 4/28/23
 1. Nate Diaz
2. Bryan Bresee
3. Jerry Springer
4. Lamar Jackson
5. Will Levis
6. Nolan Smith
7. Emmett Till
8. Milwaukee Bucks
9. Bryce Young
10. Kraken
Source: Google

Top Five on Apple Music - 4/28/23
 1. Last Night - Morgan Wallen
2. Ella Baila Sola - Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
3. un x100to - Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny
4. Search & Rescue - Drake
5. Favorite Song - Toosii
Source: Apple Music

Top Box Office Movies - Weekend of 4/21/23
1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
2. Evil Dead Rise
3. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant
4. John Wick: Chapter 4
5. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Source: Showtimes.com 

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 4/28/23
 1. The Diplomat - Netflix
2. Mrs. Davis - Peacock
3. From - Prime Video
4. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Prime Video
5. Beef - Netflix
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 4/28/23
 1. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
2. this game is for KIDS!? [Amanda The Adventurer]
3. Disney's Wish | Official Teaser Trailer
4. The Kardashians | Season 3 Official Trailer
5. Stray Kids "5-STAR"
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 TV Shows in the U.S. Today - 4/28/23
 1. The Diplomat
2. Better Call Saul
3. Workin' Moms
4. Beef
5. The Night Agent
Source: FlixPatrol

Teens and Social Media: Key Findings from Pew Research Center Surveys

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Pew Research Center.

In 2022, Pew Research Center fielded an in-depth survey asking American teens – and their parents – about their experiences with and views toward social media. Among the key findings:

• Majorities of teens report ever using YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.

• Majorities of teens use YouTube and TikTok every day, and some report using these sites almost constantly.

• Teens are more likely to report positive than negative experiences in their social media use.

• Some teens – especially older girls – avoid posting certain things on social media because of fear of embarrassment or other reasons.

• Only around one-in-five teens think their parents are highly worried about their use of social media.

To access the full report, click the source link below.

Source: Pew Research Center
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/24/teens-and-social-media-key-findings-from-pew-research-center-surveys/

Early Teen Vapers May Be at Higher Risk of Persistent and Heavier Smoking Later in Adolescence

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by NewsMedical.

Young teen smokers who also vape may be at heightened risk of persistent and heavier smoking in their late teens, reveal the combined findings of two nationally representative UK and US studies, published online in the journal Tobacco Control.

Despite national differences in e-cigarette regulation and marketing between the two countries, the findings suggest that e-cigarettes may deepen early patterns of smoking, known as the 'entrenchment hypothesis,' conclude the researchers.

The researchers drew on 1893 early teen smokers from two large, nationally representative cohort studies in the UK and USA:  the UK Millennium Cohort Study (1090); and the US Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study (803).

Participants in these studies were regularly surveyed about their use of vapes and how often they smoked conventional cigarettes up to the age of 17.

Among the UK early teen smokers, 57% said they also vaped. The equivalent figure for the US early teen smokers was 58%.

By their late teens, those who had concurrently vaped while smoking in their early teens were more likely to continue smoking.

Among UK participants, 61% of early vapers were smoking in their late teens compared with 50% of non-vapers. The equivalent figures for the US participants were 42% and 24%.

The odds of continuing to smoke in their late teens among early teen concurrent vapers were 45% higher than they were for non-vapers in the US and 119% higher than they were for non-vapers in the UK.

And by their late teens, frequent smoking—defined as more than 6 cigarettes/week or at least 27/month—was almost twice as common among UK early vapers (37%) as it was among non-vapers (23%).

Similarly, frequent smoking was nearly 3 times as common among US early teen vapers (20%) than it was among non-vapers (7%).

Overall, the odds of frequent smoking versus not smoking in their late teens were twice as high among the early concurrent vapers than they were among those who hadn't vaped in their early teens in the UK.

Source: NewsMedical
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230419/Early-teen-vapers-may-be-at-higher-risk-of-persistent-and-heavier-smoking-later-in-adolescence.aspx

Eating Walnuts Could Benefit Adolescents' Cognitive Development, Contribute to Psychological Maturation

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Eating walnuts on a regular basis could benefit the cognitive development of adolescents and contribute to their psychological maturation. These are some of the conclusions reached by a study led by the Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), in which ISGlobal (a center promoted by "la Caixa" Foundation) and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) have collaborated. This is unprecedented research; while there have been previous studies on the effect of nuts on our health, the impact of their consumption at such a critical stage for cognitive development as adolescence has never been examined.

Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 that plays a fundamental role in brain development, especially at this life stage.

In the study, which has been published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, 700 secondary school students between 11 and 16 years of age from 12 different high schools in Barcelona participated voluntarily. They were randomly divided into two groups: the control group, which received no intervention of any kind, and the experimental group, which received sachets containing 30 grams of walnut kernels, indicating to the young people who participated that they could consume them daily for a period of 6 months.

The research team found that adolescents who ate walnuts for at least 100 days (not necessarily continuously every day) increased their attention functions, and those who had some symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) improved their behavior significantly (in class, they paid more attention to the teacher and were less hyperactive).

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04-walnuts-benefit-adolescents-cognitive-contribute.html

COVID-19 Pandemic Saw Major Increase in Children and Adolescents Attempting Suicide by Poison

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

The rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning among children and adolescents ages 10-19 reported to U.S. poison centers increased 30% during 2021—the COVID-19 pandemic's first full year—compared with 2019, a new University of Virginia Health study has found.

The researchers published their findings in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning among children ages 10-12 increased 73% during 2021 compared with 2019. Among adolescents ages 13-15, the rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning in 2021 increased 48.8% over 2019. The rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning among females ages 10-19 increased 36.8% in 2021 over 2019.

The findings are based on a review of cases reported to the National Poison Data System by U.S. poison centers as "intentional suspected suicide," which encompasses both suspected suicide attempts and intentional self-harm. Girls accounted for 81.2% of the suspected suicide attempts among adolescents ages 10-19 in 2021, compared with 77% in 2019. These increases in suspected suicides occurred while overall calls to the nation's poison centers decreased 3.1% from 2019 to 2021.

"This significant increase in suicide attempts during the pandemic surprised us," said Christopher Holstege, MD, medical director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center at UVA Health and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "We are alarmed at the dramatic increase in suicide attempts in such a young population, which continues to escalate according to our data."

The two most common substances involved in the reported suicide attempts were acetaminophen and ibuprofen, two commonly available, over-the-counter pain relievers.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04-covid-pandemic-major-children-adolescents.html

What's Hot? 04/21/23

Trending Today on Twitter - 4/21/23
 1. #DioneProtocol
2. Eid Mubarak
3. #fridaymorning
4. #FridayFeeling
5. #FridayVibes
6. Alyssa Milano
7. Ten Commandments
8. #AskSachin
9. Happy Friyay
10. Finally Friday
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 4/21/23
 1. SpaceX
2. Warriors
3. 76ers
4. Eid al-Fitr
5. Frank Ocean
6. Dead Island 2
7. BuzzFeed
8. Joel Embiid
9. Cole, Oklahoma
10. Snowfall
Source: Google

Top Five on Apple Music - 4/21/23
 1. un x100to - Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny
2. Last Night - Morgan Wallen
3. Ella Baila Sola - Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
4. Search & Rescue - Drake
5. Favorite Song - Toosii
Source: Apple Music

Top Box Office Movies - Weekend of 4/14/23
1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
2. The Pope's Exorcist
3. John Wick: Chapter 4
4. Renfield
5. AIR
Source: Showtimes.com 

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 4/21/23
 1. Beef - Netflix
2. The Last Thing He Told Me - Apple TV+
3. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Prime Video
4. Mrs. Davis - Peacock
5. Yellowstone - Peacock
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 4/21/23
 1. Starship Test Flight
2. BANISHED TO THE SHADOW REALM
3. Pokemon Sent Me ALL Their Plushies
4. What Exactly Happened On SpaceX's First Starship Launch Attempt?
5. Apex Legends Veiled Collection Event
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 TV Shows in the U.S. Today - 4/21/23
 1. Love Is Blind
2. Beef
3. The Night Agent
4. Better Call Saul
5. Florida Man
Source: FlixPatrol

School Prevalence of Stimulant Therapy for ADHD Associated with Higher Rates of Misuse Among Teens

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Researchers have identified a strong association between prevalence of prescription stimulant therapy for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and rates of prescription stimulant misuse (taken in a way other than as directed by a clinician) by students in middle and high schools.

The study, which appeared in JAMA Network Open, highlights the need for assessments and education in schools and communities to prevent medication-sharing among teens. This is especially important considering non-medical use of prescription stimulants among teens remains more prevalent than misuse of any other prescription drug, including opioids and benzodiazepines.

Supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the study used data collected between 2005 and 2020 by the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study.

"The drug supply has rapidly changed, and what looks like medications—bought online or shared among friends or family members—can contain fentanyl or other potent illicit substances that can result in overdoses. It's important to raise awareness of these new risks for teens," said NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D.

Researchers at the University of Michigan examined both school- and individual-level characteristics associated with prescription stimulant misuse. Across 231,141 student participants surveyed at 3,284 secondary schools, the school-level prevalence of nonmedical use varied from 0% to over 25% of students. Schools with a greater number of students (12% or higher) reporting prescription stimulant therapy for ADHD tended to have the highest percentages of their student body reporting prescription stimulant misuse (8% of total student body). By comparison, schools with fewer students (0 to 6% of student body) reporting stimulant therapy for ADHD were associated with lower rates of prescription stimulant misuse (4 to 5% of student body).

"The key takeaway here is not that we need to lessen prescribing of stimulants for students who need them, but that we need better ways to store, monitor, and screen for stimulant access and use among youth to prevent misuse," said study author Sean Esteban McCabe, Ph.D.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04-school-prevalence-therapy-adhd-higher.html

Poll Shows Parents Torn When Teens Enter the Workforce

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

As summer nears, teens may want to apply for their first job or try to boost their hours for the season.

Not all parents think this is such a good idea, though, according to a new C.S. Mott Children's Hospital poll.

"Teen jobs can be super positive, and I think we see that in our data, but there's also the risk of potential physical and mental health" problems, said Sarah Clark, co-director of the Mott Poll at the University of Michigan.

For teens, these early work experiences can gain them money for the things they want or need and help to build their self-esteem. But parents worry their kids might get overloaded.

Parents expressed concerns about kids with jobs not getting enough sleep. They also had concerns about scheduling and transportation, the impact on grades during the school year, stress, and workplace safety.

More than 1,000 parents of teens were polled. About 8% said their 14- and 15-year-olds had jobs, compared to 42% whose teens were 16 or 17 and more than half (53%) of those who had 18-year-olds.

About 76% of parents polled cited money management as a positive impact, while 70% cited self-esteem, 63% said time management, and 28% said social life.

Among the cons were sleep, according to 16% of parents, and impacts on activities and social life (11% each) and school grades (4%).

About 87% of parents said how a job fit into their teen's schedule mattered when thinking about whether a job was appropriate. About 68% cited the convenience of getting them to and from their job as a key factor. Other important considerations included the learning experience (54%), pay rate (34%) and the other teens who work there (25%).

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/parenting-a-teen-2659845780.html

Sedentary Time May Significantly Increase Adolescent Heart Size

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

In adolescents, sedentary time may increase heart size three times more than moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, a paper published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports concludes. The study was conducted in collaboration between the University of Bristol in the U.K., the University of Exeter in the U.K., and the University of Eastern Finland. The researchers explored the associations of sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with cardiac structure and function.

The study, which used data from the University of Bristol study Children of the 90s (also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children), included 530 adolescents aged 17 years who had complete measurements of fat mass, muscle mass, glucose, lipids, an inflammation marker, insulin, smoking status, socio-economic status, family history of cardiovascular disease, echocardiographic cardiac function and structure measures, and accelerometer-based measure of sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

On average, adolescents spent almost eight hours/day sedentary and about 49 minutes/day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in this new study. It was observed that both sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were associated with higher left ventricular mass. However, the increase in cardiac mass associated with sedentary time was three times higher than the cardiac mass increase associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. This finding was observed in adolescents irrespective of their obesity status, i.e., among adolescents who had normal weight and those who were overweight or obese. Importantly, light physical activity was not associated with an increase in cardiac mass but was associated with better cardiac function estimated from left ventricular diastolic function.

"This novel evidence extends our knowledge of the adverse effects of sedentary time on cardiac health. It is known among adults that an increase in cardiac mass may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and death by 7%–20%. Engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity also slightly enlarged the heart, but it seems an acceptable 'negative side effect' considering several other health benefits of moderate-to-vigorous exercise," says Andrew Agbaje, a physician and clinical epidemiologist at the University of Eastern Finland.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04-sedentary-significantly-adolescent-heart-size.html

'Toxic Fandom:' When Your Child's Celebrity Worship Goes Too Far

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

It's not new for young people to develop an interest in their favorite pop singer or actor, but it can be problematic if that adoration turns toxic.

It's easier than ever to get lost in a celebrity's carefully curated image via social media posts, according to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, which offers some tips for when fandom goes too far.

"Artists may do things that encourage people to get to know them better, so when they start giving people a peek into their lives and creating a persona that their fans can emotionally invest in, they get more people interacting with their work and also gain prestige and make more money," explained Dr. Laurel Williams, an associate professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor.

Previously, fans had to spend money and time repeatedly to see a celebrity and then cultivate a connection that could turn obsessive -- but in today's internet age, celebrity channels are available online anytime.

Superficial connections are now more easily and frequently made, Williams cautioned, and adolescents are more susceptible to having addictive emotions over this.

"When someone starts 'speaking their truth' about a celebrity or topic in a way that dehumanizes others, either online or in person, that's when you know there's a problem," Williams said in a Baylor news release. "People sometimes invest hundreds or thousands of hours into a celebrity only to be disappointed by the celebrity. In turn, their feelings can come out as anger towards others and sometimes even as self-harm."

Online content is edited, designed and not real, Williams stressed.

Williams' advice to fans: Don't spend too much time on channels that are designed to constantly keep your attention. Use tools provided in phones or apps that limit the time you spend there.

Parents of adolescents should be curious about what their children are interested in and engage with the content if prompted, Williams said.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/toxic-fandom-when-your-child-s-celebrity-worship-goes-too-far-2659845188.html