Kimi Antonelli becomes the world’s youngest F1 champion, what teens are really watching on their school-issued devices, and how to talk to the next generation about the midterms. But first:
Resource of the Week: Advent
Christmas is coming. Did those three words give you a thrill of hope—or send a chill up your spine? Either way, you probably need Advent Light. It’s our low-maintenance, can’t-fail-it approach to having conversations with your family about hope, peace, joy, and love all December long, no matter how busy things get. Sign up now for early access to a beautiful, free devotional that includes 26 days focused on Jesus!
And now for our three conversations..
1. Kimi on Top
What it is: At 20 years and 68 days old, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli officially became the Formula 1 world champion, the youngest driver to ever be crowned.
How he did it: The F1 season is a grueling competition of endurance, with races at a breakneck pace all across the world for three-quarters of a year. This season, Antonelli proved to be the best, and he did almost all of it as a teenager. The fresh-faced Italian driver consistently found himself in the lead at the start and end of races, and it felt like everyone fell in love not only with his skill, but his delightful personality (which social media certainly played a part in highlighting). The Mexico City Grand Prix, where Antonelli clinched his championship, saw top finishes by him, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton, providing a beautiful moment when two older, former champions of F1 lifted up the next generation in celebration.
Continue the conversation: What’s something you feel too young to do?
2. TubeRot
What it is: NBC News reviewed the YouTube search histories of school-owned devices issued to 11 U.S. students. Out of 17,000 videos they analyzed, only 5% were educational.
Why it’s got parents talking: Since this analysis was limited to 11 students (whose parents are admittedly concerned about tech use in school), it needs a huge disclaimer. The sample is small and skewed. But it’s not the only information we have—one survey (language) of over 2,000 high school students and recent grads found that 33% watch unassigned YouTube videos during school hours every day. “Hundreds of the videos contained profanity, sexually suggestive scenes or references to drugs and alcohol,” according to NBC. Several interviewees made suggestions on how to make things better, including restricting YouTube’s algorithm to educational content for students and limiting access to YouTube Shorts in school settings.
Continue the conversation: How much access should students have to YouTube during school hours?
3. The Blue Wave
What it is: According to data from Tufts Circle, around 66% of 18- to 29-year-olds voted for a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, as part of a “blue wave” flipping the House and Senate to Democratic control.
Why it’s not unprecedented: It isn’t surprising for a sitting President’s political party to lose its congressional lead during the midterms. In fact, without including this week’s results, since 1826 the President’s party has lost seats in the House of Representatives in 43 out of 49 midterm elections. In an attempt to explain this 200-year trend, David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler write in the Wall Street Journal that, “Perhaps supporters of a winning presidential candidate become complacent, while voters on the losing side get energized and seek redress. It may also be that dissatisfaction with current conditions, even if they’re beyond the control of the president, tends to cause a backlash against the most visible incumbent.” But what, specifically, can we learn about young people from this election?
Let’s translate this one further…
Teen Vogue profiled 52 first-time voters (mostly aged 18 and 19) from all across the country, and asked them about the biggest issues motivating their votes. One concern that kept coming up was the cost of living.
Erianah Velez, 20, lamented the price of groceries (“I could get five things from the store, and it would be, like, $200”). Forrest Dezso, 18, complained about fast-food prices (“I don’t want to go to McDonald’s and see, oh, $10 for a Big Mac”). And 18-year-old Erik Hamburger Medailleu worried about having to live paycheck to paycheck (“I want to feel secure in how much I can survive off of what I’m making”).
But of course, inflation isn’t just a Gen Z concern. A separate poll from YouGov found that “inflation/prices” were the most important issue for every single age group—even though Tufts found that 46% of voters 45 and older voted Republican for the House of Representatives, compared to just 31% of 18- to 29-year-olds.
This poll suggests that voters of all ages actually agree on what some of the biggest issues facing our country right now are—but disagree on how to, and who should, solve them. Even if we disagree with our teens around political issues, their opinions are likely borne from the same anxieties we deal with ourselves.
Financial anxiety is one of the biggest topics Jesus addresses in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:25-26, Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
In other words, the message Jesus gives to those of us with financial anxiety is to trust the Father.
For more on how and why that trust works out, you can check out our 19-part resource on the Sermon on the Mount. In the meantime, here are three questions to help you continue the conversation about the midterms with your teens:
- A YouGov survey found that “inflation/prices” was the top political concern for every single age group. Does that surprise you? Why or why not?
- What makes it so hard for people who don’t see things the same way to collaborate?
- How does your faith shape the way you think about politics?
Parenting together,
Evan Barber and the Axis Team
In Other News…
- Nintendo’s remake of the iconic and influential Ocarina of Time is out this week, and critics are raving about the return to the musical and time-twisting game.
- After nearly a year of delays, The Cat in the Hat film starring Bill Hader is finally out. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Dr. Seuss adaptation captures the silliness of the book, but misses the charm.
- Screentests have wrapped for British cinema’s most coveted role: James Bond, Agent 007. While an official decision still hasn’t been made, Callum Turner appears to be the favorite, potentially beating out other big names like Jack Lowden, Josh O’Connor, and Robert Pattinson.
- “Disney Adults” have gotten a rebrand. “Disney Cool Girls” are decidedly less earnest in their Disney-inspired outfits (think sporting a Mickey keychain instead of Mickey ears), and more casual about their love of the park.
- Elon Musk says that Neuralink’s Blindsight implant, designed to help those who are blind gain (or regain) their vision, is ready for the world. However, he still has to wait on regulation before it can officially go to market.
A note on how we use AI: At Axis, we are working hard to stay human. Every week, a small team of writers based in California, Colorado, and New York writes this newsletter. We continue to do all the writing, fact-checking, and hands-on developmental editing. We sometimes use Claude or Perplexity for preliminary research, grammar checks, and titling suggestions. All em-dashes are our own—because we love them.