Sydney Sweeney released a borderline pornographic commercial for Novig, what the memes about Charlie Kirk may really mean, and why not every tween wants to grow up to be a YouTuber. But first:
Resource of the Week: “Breaking the Algorithm”
Our friends at TENx10 are debuting a new six-part video series, “Breaking the Algorithm,” and we’re so excited about it! The first episode, “Breaking Through the Noise,” features KB, Ray Chang, Ameen Hudson, and Matt Maher as they discuss whether we’re actually listening to the next generation—and why it’s so important that we all do so. There’s also a discussion guide for church leaders and parents to use alongside the series. “Breaking the Algorithm” makes the case that, in a polarized moment, the way back to each other begins with listening. We couldn’t agree more.
And now for our three conversations..
1. Naked Rage
What it is: Sydney Sweeney is nearly nude in a new commercial for a sports betting platform called Novig. Female Olympians took to social media to express their anger that the ad was “sexualizing women’s sports.”
Why it’s not just Good Genes 2.0: It’s been exactly a year since Sweeney’s last tour through the outrage cycle with American Eagle’s “Good Jeans/Genes” campaign. The controversy from that campaign fueled AE to a 25% stock price bump—and Novig, apparently, took note. In the new ads, Sweeney tells the camera that Novig is a place to bet on “just sports,” while barely using sports equipment to cover her naked body. Unlike the AE shoot, Sweeney provided creative direction for Novig’s campaign and is an equity stakeholder in the company. Since sports gambling ads are targeted toward young men on sports sites, they will likely be the ones most exposed to this campaign. (We have a brand new video and parent guide about sports betting, a defining issue for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.)
Continue the conversation: How do you think ads like this shape the way young women (and young men) think about women?
2. September 10
What it is: Leading up to the anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10, several memes about Charlie Kirk and the “Kirkiversary” began to go viral.
What the memes mean: Much of the content young people post about the late Charlie Kirk might seem to make light of or even celebrate his assassination. But Professor Joel Penney, who studies media and political communication, makes an interesting counterpoint, arguing that for Gen Z, creating and sharing dark or absurd memes can be a way of trying to understand and process traumatic experiences, “making it easier to handle those kinds of issues by turning them into a joke.” In between the political signaling and desensitization, some young people are still trying to process the fact that footage of Kirk being shot was forced into their social media feeds.
Continue the conversation: Have you seen very many memes about Charlie Kirk? What do you think the motivation is for posting those?
3. An Honest Trade
What it is: A small survey asked 50 kids aged 5 to 14 what their dream jobs were. None of them said TikToker.
Why it’s surprising: Headlines like “57% of Gen Zers want to be influencers” and “Kids want to be influencers when they grow up because they ‘gets lots of money’ and ‘they want to be famous’” have been everywhere the last few years. Most of the research on kids and teens today heavily suggests that they all aspire to be content creators. And yet, when Yahoo News surveyed these kids, most of them gave decidedly “old-fashioned” answers, like volcanologist, ninja, firefighter, and surgeon. Is this survey simply a blip compared to all the other data showing the contrary—or could the tide be turning?
Let’s translate this one further…
John Adams was once quoted as saying, “I am a warrior, so that my son can be a merchant, so that his son can be a poet.” He spoke with the wisdom of a man who had lived through a war—and also, a generational understanding of vocation as a path to family stability.
Perhaps for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, the content creation track is the equivalent of the “poet” Adams spoke of. But if this survey is any indication, they’re curious about trades where the future isn’t so murky, excitement is a possibility, and future employment is more of a guarantee. They’re curious about being doctors, attorneys, astronauts, and teachers.
Content creation is not entirely absent from their answers. Three kids surveyed—all under age 11—named YouTube, influencing, or streaming as part of their current dream job.
As technology advances, new jobs are ushered in, while others are lost to history. A lot of the most successful content creators on TikTok were born before it existed. Your kids’ future job market might not even exist yet.
Parents today, just like every other generation, will have to entrust their kids’ careers to God, knowing that He made them for such a time as this. And trust that your influence matters, too. A survey respondent named Brendan said he wants to be a firefighter like his dad, and a respondent named Zana is drawn to medicine because of her grandfather.
It might be helpful to remember that it is a fairly recent thing that we get to choose what we do for work—for most of human history, learning and continuing in a family trade was the expectation. Now, many kids have the chance to make their living as soccer players, musicians, or tornado chasers (yes, this was a real answer).
Theologian Frederick Buechner famously said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
If you’re willing to be curious with your teen about what their place of deep gladness is and what deep hunger compels them, their answers may surprise you.
For more context and nuance, check out our Roundtable podcast on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the meantime, here are three questions to help you continue the conversation with your teens:
- What do you want to be when you grow up?
- What’s a job you think you would be good at, but you would never want to do?
- How do you think jobs will change with AI?
Parenting together,
Jenna Mindel and the Axis Team
In Other News…
- Whispering the phrase “go play” has become a way to tell someone to leave you alone, with the implication that they are being childish.
- Rapper Macklemore was removed from being the opening act for Ed Sheeran’s tour after saying “Free Palestine” from the stage.
- The comedy-horror series Widow’s Bay dominated the Emmys this past Monday, taking home 14 total awards—including the top prize for the comedy genre, Outstanding Comedy Series.
- A recent study from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression asked college students whether violence was an acceptable way to stop controversial speakers. 3% said “always,” 12% said “sometimes,” and 16% said “rarely.” These numbers are down from last year, in which 34% total agreed that violence may sometimes be acceptable.
- The indie band Bon Iver has apparently written a jingle to help promote “meatloaf dippers” at Howard’s Bar in Minnesota.
PS: Know someone who could use our conversation starters with their teens? Share the CT with a friend!