Teens Today

Warning: Alliteration, straight ahead...

Today's Trending Teen Topics

Think you know what they are? I did too. And then I did some basic research and discovered... 

Yep, I do in fact know what teens think about. I'd like to say it's because I was a teacher and worked with both middle and high schoolers. But that isn't why. It's really because not much has changed since I was a teen myself.

See:

Clearly, that information was from a very macro viewpoint. Just because teens are thinking about most of the same things I was as a teen (way back in the day, sigh) does not mean that they're reacting to those thoughts in the same ways. But that's for a different post for a different day =) 

Just as clearly, there are tons of other things teens face/think about. Romance, sexual orientation, sex, drugs, breakups, jealousy, friends, popularity, music, fashion, hygiene--the list could go on and on. I would have added everything I could think of to the vlog, but I wanted to stick with the things teens actually wrote about (most recently) at the sites I visited.

So if you're a YA writer, does this mean you have to write those topics into your plots? Of course not. But I really believe you'll capture a more accurate teen Voice if you stay aware of the things they're facing/thinking about today.

What'd you think? Anything surprise you in the vlog?

♥ Sara

PS. The sites I researched for today's video were: 

• TeenInk.com--A national teen magazine, book series, and website devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos and forums.  Students must be age 13-19 to participate
• TeenVoices.com--A website/magazine by, for, and about teen girls.

The music in the vlog: David Garrett playing Smooth Criminal. Isn't he amazing???