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A couple of interesting tidbits to share today…First up “Generation Debt” may not be in as much debt as we think — at least when it comes to credit cards. According to new research from Peanut Labs:

- Generation-Y has impressively kept out of credit card debt; 47 percent of respondents say they currently have zero credit card debt.

- 17 percent of all respondents currently owe less than $500 and 23 percent of Gen-Y respondents owe $500 – $5,000 in credit card charges.

- On the downside, 3 percent of Gen-Yers are carrying more than $25,000 in credit card debt.

And there’s new research on girls playing sports — while more girls are playing organized sports, the girls who aren’t becoming jocks (including an over representation of poor girls and girls of color) are becoming less active and less healthy. According to a forthcoming report from the U of Minnesota:

- Girls are participating in sports in record numbers, but their participation in physical activity outside of organized sports is declining, especially as they move from childhood into adolescence.

- Girls’ participation rates in all types of physical activities consistently lag behind those of boys and girls’ dropout rates are higher.

- Girls’ experiences are shaped by the quality and expertise of the adults who make decisions, manage, govern, deliver and coach physical activity programming, many of whom have minimal — if any — formal training.

- Outdated, stereotypical standards of femininity and masculinity continue to influence the extent to which girls participate in or shun physical activity.

- Female athletes continue to be trivialized through the popular media’s widespread sexualization of women.

- Traditional models of physical education organized around competition, team sports, power, strength, aggression and which focuses on the “motor elite” rather than skill development, disadvantage girls (and boys) who are less skilled to begin with, which may contribute to a lack of enjoyment and a shunning of lifelong participation in physical activity.

And finally, just in time for the Pope’s impending visit, new research shows Catholic youth are more traditional than older Catholics. According to U.S. News & World Report:

Conducted in February 2008 by the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the survey of 1,007 self-identified Catholics found that regular mass-attending millennials are almost as accepting of church teachings as pre-Vatican II Catholics. And in some respects, their practices identify them as the most traditional.

For example, millennials are the most likely of any age cohort to follow Lenten practices, whether abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent or receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday. They are also the most likely to say that devotion to the saints is very important to their idea of being a good Catholic. They are as likely as pre-Vatican II Catholics to say that Christ is truly present in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and they are among the most inclined to say that the Eucharist is very important to their religious practice. While they are even more prone than pre-Vatican II Catholics to say that they are at least somewhat involved in parish life, pre-Vatican II Catholics still attend mass more frequently.

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The Cos (to release a hop-hop album described as an “unflinching look at life in the 21st century, but without the profanity, misogyny, violence and braggadocio.” Plus Miley “steps up” in an online dance battle – thanks Eric!) (Reuters) (Idolator)

- Motley Crew (to release a single in the game Rock Band) (Reuters)

- Spleak partners with Hearst (to bring chat and user submitted celeb gossip to its online publishing properties. Plus a Facebook friend told me about this site in France, which seems like a French Zinio for mags. I love that this model is now being spun as “green” – I mean it always has been green but it’s a new marketing angle) (press release)

- Cell phones as “electronic leashes” (takes on a new unsettling meaning in the context of Palestinian girls and dating. Plus MTV to launch a branded phone in France) (Shift6) (Textually)

- Speaking of being green (youth 12-20 can apply for a grant to save the environment via The Lorax Challenge/Youth Venture)

- The S.A.T. game (on Nintendo DS – thanks Derik!) (Alley Insider)

- ‘Juno’ out on DVD (I’m sure it will be insanely popular…but popular enough to continue the reported “Juno Effect”?)

- Tag is not ‘it’ (at this school where the classic game has apparently gotten too violent. Thanks Shari!) (Washington Post, reg. required)

- Kids turning a profit (on black market candy sales. It used to be Now and Laters at my middle school – thanks Andrea!) (Daily Press)

Gen Y Demands It: Green Fashion that’s Chic [MediaPost Publications]

PTC Blasts BET and MTV [MediaWeek]

More Abuse Victims Able to Get Help Online [USA Today]

Fears Over Pro-Suicide Web Pages [BBC News]

What Youth Marketers Can Learn From Youth Ministry [YPulse]

OurWorld: Another virtual world for teens to play games and meet people

Next Great Thing: Youth Trends Report 2008

Facebook Launches a Chat Feature

Photos from “It’s Complicated: The American Teenager”

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What Youth Marketers Can Learn From Youth Ministry

It was a cool spring evening down by the river, and there was a rockin’ band, about two-dozen young people, and an outdoor basketball court-turned-dance floor. Nice night for a party.

Then the Candlelight Crashers showed up … a loosely organized band of teens who showed up at my 15-year-old daughter’s retreat site over the weekend. (I say “loosely” only because they weren’t wearing matching T-shirts … yet … and you won’t find them in a Google search either.) She was there with 25 others from her all-girl, inner city Catholic high school.

Teen ACTS retreats are teen-led weekends where high schoolers sing, pray and generally talk about God, church and community service. According to their report, the 11-year-old ACTS movement now exists in Alaska, California, Connecticut and Missouri, as well as all over Texas.

These Crashers came loudly, uninvited and unknown (though not unwelcome), like they do at retreats all over the area nearly every weekend. I was intrigued as they danced and sang, that they had obviously sought out this “Jesus party,” yet with good intentions. They didn’t fit into one “type” or “clique” but were a mix of teens from artsy to preppy to loner.

OK, it’s not like there was nothing else going on in town. But they had no doubt experienced an ACTS retreat themselves, and knew it was the best place for a free party. (It was probably easy to get mom and dad to hand over the car keys as well.)

A 2005 Harris Interactive Survey (.pdf) reported how religious leaders do a great job recognizing the need to be relevant to teens, and if they didn’t do it now, it would be too late to establish lifelong faith. Now if Candlelight Crashers, who happily choose to spend their Saturday nights in this way, isn’t an example of how effective they’ve been in beginning to create a lifetime preference, I’m not sure what is. Especially when it comes to picking up where parental influence leaves off, which can be a model applied so many other, uh, industries as well. After all, youth ministry has been around since the mid-1800s.

Of course, Crashers isn’t a widespread movement and not an official group of any kind. But I loved how they subtly express their reaction to an experience. They serve as a non-digital reminder of how you can tell when your marketing efforts are a slam-dunk: when you see them (youth) make it social, make it fun, make it a little “underground.”

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Scream queens (still rule with teens even though Brittany Snow is no Jamie Lee Curtis. Plus the in-theater publicity stunt that became a viral ad campaign for the flick. And the multitude of Sarah Marshall virals) (Detroit News) (USA Today) (Pop Candy)

- J.C. Penny targets teens (in stores…Plus an article on how celebrities are making fashion more appealing to teens….which may be why P&G’s TAG body spray has teamed up with Def Jam?) (USA Today) (Marketplace)

- ‘I Love Chieftown’ (new MySpace series from the makers of KateModern [on Bebo]) (Alley Insider)

- The ‘Rap on Rap’ (The Parents Television Council attacks MTV and BET in a new report. Plus parents more disgusted with sex in video games than violence. And on the other side of the spectrum, one parent blogs about letting her kids go “free range” – thanks Andrea!) (Media Week) (Ars Technica) (Boing Boing)

- Crossing the street and cell phones (don’t mix. Check out this horrifying PSA driving the point home) (Textually)

- Speaking of teens, phones & driving (NPR’s beloved “Car Talk” hosts are getting their own animated show — where you’ll hear zingers like this: “As a parent, you have to threaten to kill them.” Added Tom: “What also works are punishments that disrupt their social lives. I found, with my son, that writing ‘LOSER’ on his forehead in permanent marker was somewhat effective.”) (CNN)

- Trojan ‘evolves’ (launches the “Evolve Tour” to encourage safer sex. Good for them! And Reel Pop reviews the new Montana Meth Project ads directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, of “21 Grams” and “Babel” fame.)

- RAINN launches online hotline (The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network goes online offering even more anonymity and encouraging young victims to reach out for help.) (USA Today)

- UK study finds pro-suicide sites (overtaking suicide resources online – this is scary) (BBC)

- It’s the plunging, padded… (Pre-teen bra! Plus the fashion industry trying to make runway modeling more like driving – 16 and up) (Telegraph UK) (Reuters)

- Miley makes mad money (Plus another story on how Disney created brand Jonas Bros. And if you’re sick of all the sugary tween pop, check out the Tiny Masters of Pop) (MTV News) (BusinessWeek)

- Math Counts (launches a new site for the “tiny masters of math” in your life. And Wired’s “Geek Dad” marvels at the 14-year-old founder of Elementeo)

- College Humor (now sells posters) (Alley Insider)

- Next Great Thing (has a new free youth trend report)

• The Rap on Rap (.pdf) – Parents Television Council research report

• Study reveals shocking content on MTV, BET – Walt Mueller quoted extensively in this article from the Baptist Press

• Consuming church

  - A Slice of Infinity by Margaret Manning

• The divorce generation grows up

• GTA IV expected to break sales records

• France closer to adopting body image bill

• Teen dating ’08: Nude pix on cell phones

• Fewer U.S. teens are getting pregnant

• Fears over pro-suicide web pages

• Miley Cyrus tops teens on Parade’s ‘What People Earn’ list

• Risky 21st birthday booze ritual gains popularity

• CW uses provacative “OMFG” campaign to promote ‘Gossip Girl’

Tax Rebates
Starting in early May, more than 130 million Americans—or at least, those who filed a tax return by the deadline at midnight last night—will receive tax rebates ranging from $300 to $600, or $1,200 for married couples, plus $300 for each dependent child. The rebates, which represent a one-time cut in 2008 tax rates, were intended to help rescue the economy from recession by encouraging consumer spending. A similar rebate program in 2001 was widely credited with curtailing that year’s recession. But this time could be different. Home values have plummeted, gas prices are higher and millions of Americans are hip-deep in debt. Consumer confidence has sunk to its lowest in 26 years. According to a survey by CCH, which publishes tax reference guides and tax software, 47% of adults say they plan to use their rebates to pay down debt; 32% say they plan to save the money. Just 21% intend to spend it.
USA Today, April 14

Gay Couples Having Trouble Obtaining Divorces
Gay couples have been struggling for the right to marry or form civil unions in certain states. Now, some are finding that breaking up is hard to do, too. In Rhode Island, for example, the state’s top court ruled in December that gays married in neighboring Massachusetts—the only state to allow the practice—cannot get divorced because state lawmakers have never defined marriage as anything but a union between a man and woman. In Missouri, a judge is deciding whether a lesbian married in Massachusetts can get an annulment.
MSNBC.com, April 15

Divorce by YouTube
We’re the YouTube Generation, living in the YouTube Era, in a YouTube World. And now we apparently have a YouTube Divorce. Some prominent New York divorce lawyers couldn’t think of another case where a spouse—in this instance, the wife of a major Broadway theater operator—had taken to YouTube to spill the secrets of a marriage in an apparent effort to gain leverage and humiliate the other side.
MSNBC.com, April 15

Cool Newsweek interview of Blue Balliett (Her new book The Calder Game, focuses on mobile artist Alexander Calder. Looks really fun.)

- ‘Blurring the lines’ (Illustrations for everyone! A great article about the newest trends in emergent readers, and all children’s literature, I think.) (Seven Impossible Things To Do Before Breakfast)

- ‘Kids’ lit gets graphic’ (The New York Magazine, reg. required, agrees and spotlights The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.)

- Looking forward to Tony DiTerlizzi’s new book (Kenny and the Dragon, an illustrated chapter book inspired by a short story by Kenneth Grahame.)

- ‘And you thought models couldn’t read‘ (Two fashion YA books about the life of a model are covered in the NY Times Fashion and Beauty Section. Our friend, and one of the authors, Melissa Walker, talks about the experience – Congrats Melissa!)

- Just for fun (Amazing! Trillions of illustrations of the famous Alice In Wonderland.)

- Collaborative writing and publishing (at WeBook) (Washington Post)

- And so it begins (JKR arrives in New York to testify in the Harry Potter Lexicon case and leaves the defendant, a huge fan and librarian, in tears.) (NY Times, reg. required)

- R.L.Stein (talks about Goosebumps) (TIME.com)

- Hating high school (teen author pens Truancy. And a teen who LOVES to read!) (Wired.com) (Contra Costa Times)

Paris searching for her new BFF (on MTV.com….oof. In better news ThinkMTV teams with HighSchoolJournalism.org to help schools without a paper launch their own. And for all you “Real World” junkies, gobs of video can be found here) (Paris via Fimoculous) (Real World via Reality Blurred)

- Avril is the queen (of YouTube…where apparently music videos are very popular. Speaking of queens, Madonna is making a video for the Queen of All Media’s site — PerezHilton.com. Trying to stay connected with a younger fanbase, perhaps? And “Juno” is available on iTunes [the movie] – very smart) (Alley Insider) (PerezHilton) (PaidContent)

- Declare Yourself voting tees (exclusively at American Eagle)

- Inside GOOD mag (winning awards while giving away lots of cash to non-profits. Sounds pretty GOOD to me) (Media Life Magazine)

- Shocking HIV PSA (The Shot. I don’t know how I feel about this. Very disturbing. Thanks Andrea!)

- Should video games get serious? (There are serious games, but critics say not enough of them. And for my readers who are educators, bookmark MIT’s New Media Literacies blog for ideas on how to teach digital literacy/ethics in the classroom) (NPR)

- ‘Freshman 15′ a myth? (yes, according to this study. I’m still working on the “Married 20″) (iVillage)

- My Beautiful Mommy (WTF? Plus like mother like daughter? Gag) (Boing Boing) (Jezebel)

- Go mobile (to reach young men. New study says texting makes teens’ hearts grow fonder…of their parents. U.C. Berkeley student Twitters from an Egyptian jail. And ringtones down, ringbacks up.) (mMetrics) (TCM Net) (Textually) (Washington Post, reg. required)

- Individual yet respectful of authority (the new generation of Chinese youth) (Destination CRM)

There are over 100 virtual worlds for kids… (either live or in development. Wow. Add Moshi Monsters to the list of now live and Cartoon Network’s Fusion Fall to the list of “taking its time.”) (MediaWeek) (Reuters)

- Call GoFish (GrowFish — the tween/teen ad network keeps adding new sites)

- Coming in July… (the “High School Musical” reality show) (MediaPost, reg. required)

- MySpace launches ‘Beyond the Rave’ (with an 18 and up wall sure to entice every teen under 18 [already lying about their age on MySpace] to watch. I haven’t watched it yet…feel free to weigh in if you have in the comments)

- MediaPost on The CW’s OMFG campaign (and the mags who turned it down. I thought “Gossip Girl.” Evidently no matter how big a hit you may be on iTunes, TV ratings still matter)

- TommyTV (Tommy Hilfiger launches a YouTube Channel)

- ‘Iron Man’ mobile promotions (LG pushing the latest Marvel flick) (AdAge.com, reg. required)

- WeCheer (for all those girls who didn’t make the squad. You can still cheer…on the Wii) (WorthPlaying.com)

- Young people beginning to feel the pain (of inflation. Plus another column on “Gen Me” @ work – this time in the New York Times Style section, reg. required) (Quad City Times)

- Marketing the priesthood (the Catholic Church updates its recruiting posters for the internet generation) (Miami Herald)

- Baracking the vote (online. I’m going to try to check out this event [Facebook link] focusing on the youth vote tonight in SF) (Search Engine Watch)

Cram Sheet: Dark High School Movies [LA Times]

Trusting Teenage Girls: What America Can Learn from HBO’s Dr. Paul Weston [The Huffington Post]

Students of Virginity [NY Times]

Biblical Appeal: Palmer Lake Company Flaunts Christian Themes on Clothing [The Gazette]

Converse Sneakers Turn 100 [South Coast Today]

Scientific (?) Experiments with Twinkies

Blog Post of the Week:
Violence Against Emos Sweeps Across Mexico from Intersections

Screen-Time Shock
More than half (60%) of teens spend 20 hours per week in front of a monitor; 33% spend 40 hours per week; and 7% spend 50 hours per week. Kids whose parents have lower education levels spent more time in front of monitors, and teens who come from a more socially-economic disadvantaged area are likely to spend a greater number of hours watching TV or using a computer due to lack of access to other activities in their neighborhood. Also, the more time spent in front of monitors, the higher the risk of obesity and heart disease.
Teen Trends Newsletter, March ’08

Marriage and Divorce
Four out of every five adults (78%) have been married at least once, and one out of three have been divorced at least once, according to a new study from The Barna Group. George Barna, who directed the study, noted that Americans have grown comfortable with divorce as a natural part of life. “There no longer seems to be much of a stigma attached to divorce; it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage,” the researcher indicated. “Interviews with young adults suggest that they want their initial marriage to last, but are not particularly optimistic about that possibility. There is also evidence that many young people are moving toward embracing the idea of serial marriage, in which a person gets married two or three times, seeking a different partner for each phase of their adult life.”
The Barna Update, March 31

Consume, Consume, Consume!
Struggling to get their message to teenagers, “advertisers are going into schools, forging new platforms for youth connection,” according to Samantha Skey, executive vice president of strategic marketing at Alloy Media & Marketing, a youth marketing agency. Macy’s Epic Thread line of clothes, Old Spice’s Red Zone body wash, Gatorade’s Propel fitness water, and makeup giant CoverGirl are just a few of the companies who give out free products to athletes and cheerleaders because so many other kids look up to them. About two-thirds of teens are loyal to brands they like, according to Harris Interactive, a market research firm. Forrester Research has found that more than 60% of teens ages 15 to 17 will remain with their bank after they graduate from high school and recommend it to friends. “If you can hook teens when they’re young, you have a customer for a lifetime,” said Matt Britton, chief of brand development at Mr. Youth, a marketing firm.
Los Angeles Times, April 2

‘MTV’s Baby Woodwards’ (The New York Observer on the teens behind MTV’s new reality series “The Paper,” which I can’t wait to watch. Plus MTV attempting to reclaim its music roots with an “I Want My Music On MTV” contest? And the competition heats up online – Pitchfork.tv joins Videoogum in the indie music online video space)

- ‘HSM 4′ will happen (most likely without the original “High School Musical” cast “in tact”) (MediaPost, reg. required)

- Gossip blogger/music tastemaker Perez Hilton (will get his own twice daily radio show on ‘C’ Entertainment)

- Do they still have the ‘right stuff’ (New Kids [who are all pushing 40] release a new single) (Idolator)

- Surrge (an iTunes for populists, according to Iconoculture)

- GoFish adds FactMonster (popular homework destination to its tween/teen ad network)

- MySpace launches (MySpace Latino….do Latino youth need or want a bilingual version…or will it be more popular with their parents?)

- GrindTV (launches an action sports channel on Yahoo!) (MediaWeek)

- Emoodicons (kinda like emoticons meets the mood ring. The price seems too high for teens but you never know…)

• Students’, Parents’ and Teachers’ views on homework (.pdf) – Trends and Tudes Newsletter

• New marriage and divorce statistics released – The Barna Update

• Teen Trends – Monthly newsletter from Connect With Kids

• Companies are targeting cheerleaders to market to teens

• New study finds glamorization of drugs in rap music jumped dramatically over two decades

• Credit cards go after college students

• Disney machine working for Jonas Brothers

• Ultimate fights expand to include kids

• Most Americans believe in sin, but differ widely on just what it is

• Outrage over bimbo virtual-doll game for girls

• Teens uploading videos of themselves using salvia

• Study finds spirituality a big factor in children’s happiness

• Latest teen hangout: the gym

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Surveillance For Better Teen Health?
Categories: Wireless

GPS tracking has always been controversial when it comes to parenting teens — how can you build trust and spy on your kid’s whereabouts at the same time? This Reuters article on research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health proposes GPS tracking not for parental spying but for positive interventions, i.e. “the possibility of using teenagers’ cell phone to intervene right at the time when they are most likely to take a health risk, like drinking or smoking.”

Um…the intentions are good here, but it sounds very big brothery to me precisely because of the GPS component. They don’t talk about whether teens would choose to receive these kinds of messages and to be “tracked” or not, but given the choice, I’m thinking “not.”

We’re all trying to figure out ways to use the technology teens have grown up with in positive ways that impact on public health. I’m just not convinced that GPS tracking is one of those technologies — at least used in this way. I head a story on NPR yesterday about how Massachusetts is using it with violent offenders to enforce restraining orders (and protect battered women). Now that makes sense to me. What do you think?

Posted by anastasia

4164: Habbo’s ‘Breakfast Club’
Categories: Marketing

Habbo released some research highlights the other day (thanks Paloma!) based on surveying over 58K teens between the ages 11 and 18 from 31 countries and identified five clearly defined behavioral segments amongst respondents. It shows just how much high school hasn’t changed.

- Achievers: Ambitious, strong-minded and materialistic. They value material success and while they have many friends, they do not consider other people’s feelings as much as other groups. [aka "a beauty" and "a jock"]

- Rebels: Value gathering a lot of experiences in life and enjoy a fast-paced lifestyle. Like Achievers, they want to become “rich and famous,” but are not willing to compromise on having fun in order to achieve this goal. [aka "a criminal"]

- Traditionals: Value having an ordinary life and see themselves as honest, polite and obedient. They are keen to help others but are less ambitious and pleasure-seeking compared to other segments. [aka "a brain"]

- Creatives: Share many of the same positive traits as Traditionals, but with a focus on creativity. They place value in getting a good education and being influential in life, but they are also active, social and have an interest in traveling.

- Loners: More introverted and less likely than other segments to identify with any specific personality traits. They rarely see themselves as active or self-assured, but are more open-minded in their attitudes compared to Traditionals or Achievers. [aka "a basketcase"]

Ok, I know they aren’t exactly like our old friends from “The Breakfast Club,” but you get the gist. Other not so surprising findings include:

- Nearly 76 percent of teens globally use the Internet to instant message friends, and, overall instant messaging was the most popular communication tool in most countries

- Despite 72 percent of teen respondents’ saying they have active email accounts, results showed it is no longer a primary means of communication with peers

- The most popular global Web sites amongst teens are YouTube and MySpace

- In the U.S., the most popular web sites amongst respondents were MySpace and YouTube, followed by AddictingGames, RuneScape and Facebook

- Of those surveyed, 50 percent responded that they forward humorous links and videos to their friends, while 30 percent regularly upload content

- 74 percent saying that familiar brands guide their purchasing decisions. Reinforcing the brand familiarity findings, global well-known brands, such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Nokia ranked high for both boys and girls

- Gender differences are more visible for example in clothing brands. According to the results, boys favor Nike, Adidas and Billabong as their top clothing brands, where as girls preferred Hennes and Mauritz, Nike and Roxy

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ALot2Lose.com (The Century Council [which represents companies in the alcohol industry] posts winning PSAs showing what happens when your drunken escapades end up on a social networking site…)

- ‘Friday Night Lights’ is back…sort of (it’s only on Direct TV, which I don’t have, at least if you want to watch new episodes in the fall. They will air on NBC starting in February. I hope they end up online) (MediaPost, reg. required)

- Targeting tween girls (more on how “personal care” like straightening and highlighting your hair, is beginning at much younger ages) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Trying 2 hard 2 be 2 Kewl (ugh. Marketers embrace texting lingo) (WSJ)

- MySpace is the new MTV (people are saying with its music service launching sometime next week. I think it would be more the old MTV, the one that focused more on music, no? Plus can the UK regulate MySpace and Facebook when they’re based in the U.S.?) (L.A. Times, reg. required) (ZDNet)

- Slate V debunks online predator myths (this is a good one to send to parents/educators)

- Design your own video game (Dare to be Digital [in the UK] launches its design competition aimed at young gamers)

- Paramount goes ‘There’ (will distribute clips inside There.com. Plus Stardoll lets girls design their own virtual and real Ts. And Nick is creating more virtual worlds, including one for “Spongebob” and offering a choice between ad supported and subscription) (MediaWeek) (Virtual World News) (Hollywood Reporter)

Colleges addressing gambling (interesting article about how the University of Missouri is reaching out to students to educate them about “problem gambling”) (Christian Science Monitor)

- Rule breakers (Gen Y is breaking the rules at work…at least when it comes to using their favorite web apps) (CIO)

- Tila back April 22 (with another “Shot At Love” on MTV. Blech. Plus AdAge.com on “MTV’s commerce-drenched look at wannabe debutantes who deserve a thorough tasing” or “My Super Sweet 16″) (Multichannel News) (AdAge.com, reg. required)

- Molly Ringwald returns! (as a mom of a teen mom on ABC Family. But who can forget when she was a teen mom herself? Plus more nostalgia – yes, The New Kids On The Block are back.) (Entertainment Tonight) (Entertainment Weekly)

- Kids + Animals (equals ratings bonanza for Nick. Plus the rest of this week’s Younger Viewers ratings wrap up from Media Life Magazine)

- Zookazoo (another tween virtual world launches. I wonder if this is why Dizzywood changed their name from Zoodaloo….Plus look for research in June from Millions of Us and Forrester on ROI for marketers in virtual worlds including case studies from Habbo and Gaia)

- More on Unilever’s OMG campaign (Tell us your OMG! moment and you could meet Ashley Tisdale! LOL! BFD!) (Media Post, reg. required)

- Hipster music site Stereogum (which is now owned by Buzznet.com, will launch hipster video site Videogum)

- Share Your Dream (new contest on Bebo in conjunction with activist site YouthNoise)

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Getting Off The Social Site Bandwagon

Facebook and MySpace are pretty much household names now, no news there. If at least one family member doesn’t have a profile on one or both of these sites, they have heard of the social sovereigns at least. What’s happening a lot lately is that the social network bandwagon has been increasing in numbers pretty steadily, begging the question of if it’s really worth it to a company?

Mashable posted an article featuring seven brand name social networks. Disney is on there, as well as Pepsi, MTV and others. All of the sites aren’t meant for Generation Y, but let’s take Pepsi for example. Pepsi has a wide range of consumers, and one of the hardest to communicate to is Gen Y. Instead of allocating money and talent to building a Pepsi-branded social site, why wouldn’t they take advantage of what’s out there already. Facebook and MySpace. With the ever-increasing number of members, I think creating subtly branded fan pages, apps, games, and content for users to share and talk about would be more effective. After all, Gen Y doesn’t want to feel advertised to; they want to feel like they found something worth sharing with their friends.

Then there are gaming social sites, like FlowPlay’s new ourWorld, that are targeted to tweens. This is another opportunity to subtly get a brand in the minds of younger generations. How? By creating content for the space. I think there’s more bang from the buck this way. What do you think?

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Young, Privileged ‘Pretty Babies’
Categories: Tweens Marketing

I had my first professional mani/pedi and eyebrow waxing done at some point in my twenties. Yes, I survived my tween and teen years without paying to have someone rip the hair off my face or any other part of my body. I did go to a tanning salon once before prom and was completely paranoid the machine would not open up, and that I would be irradiated in an ultraviolet coffin. I did have my hair professionally dyed in 9th grade (blue black) but it was free in exchange for being a “hair model” in a “hair show.” Maybe it was the crowd I hung out with, but apart from spending lots of time putting on too much eyeliner and crimping my bangs, I never had a spa treatment as a teen.

Oh how times have changed. Now that tweens are the new teens and teens all want to look like celebrities, the personal care industry has painted a bullseye on girls — young girls. This is no surprise to Ypulse readers (we’ve been linking pieces like last Thursday’s New York Times piece on girls’ getting more sophisticated hair treatments for months). But this article (thanks danah!) in Philadelphia Magazine on “pretty babies” actually blames affluent moms for indulging tweens in beauty rituals like waxing (not just eyebrows) way too young. From the article:

There you have it — the new norm for young, privileged, growing girls. It’s not just designer clothes, luxury cars, and the best-of-the-best in schools, lessons and tutors: It’s narcissism, and it’s inherited from — no, encouraged by — Mom. Mom, who not only lifts, tans and waxes herself into oblivion, but who has now turned her attentions to her daughter, hauling her from spa to spa before the school pictures, the big dance, or, well, just because — for facial after blowout after wax. After a handful of appointments, the transformation from little girl to prepubescent supermodel is complete, thanks to beauty treatments that not long ago were reserved for big girls — with little consideration that the same beauty treatments meant to fix “imperfections” will probably screw the kids up down the road.

The article is full of quotes from Salon owners who have had to tell mom that highlighting your 6-year-old’s hair is a bad idea or that waxing for tweens involves “pain, sweating, high ­probability of ensuing red bumps on young, sensitive, not-in-need-of-a-wax skin.” The combination of the beauty or personal care industry, misguided moms and celebrity influence are setting girls up for that almost universal female feeling of never being happy with your appearance at a much earlier age. Sad.

In sort of related news:

A British lingerie company will no longer offer sexy underwear marketed to girls as young as 5 years old online, a company spokeswoman says. Oh good.

And apparently, the Miss Bimbo story was really good…for Miss Bimbo (L.A. Times, reg. required)

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ourWorld (another virtual world for tweens — with lots of games. And speaking of games or advergames, Double Fusion is teaming up with Doppelganger’s teen virtual world vSide to add…more brands! It’s just like real life)

- Facebook launches chat (in “a few networks.” Plus Virginia schools now teaching Net safety lessons…and it sounds like it’s primarily focused on predators) (Inside Facebook) (Associated Press)

- More video content going mobile (like Hannah Montana…but not so many young people, at least in the 18-34 age range are watching) (Multichannel News)

- Speaking of age and watching (evidently you don’t have to be young on TV to attract a young audience according to this article. Still the tweens will be more likely to watch Nick’s new “Dance On Sunset” than Sam Waterston in “Law & Order”) (Seattle Times) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Boob tube in the bedroom (breeds unhealthy habits for teens. I was shocked that 62 percent of teens in this study had a TV in their bedroom. I want to see a similar study on computers in the bedroom – thanks Andrea!)

- Game on… (too long? This story argues it’s a fine line separating fun and “addiction” when it comes to video games)

- ‘It’s Complicated’ (photos from It’s Complicated: The American Teenager, by Robin Bowman — black and white and done in a photojournalism style. Very different from Franzini’s 100 Young Americans. Plus a new doc about young women and presidential politics called “What’s your Point, Honey?” Trailer is here – thanks Andrea!) (NPR) (Dane101)

- Free prom dresses (Hearst launches DonateMyDress.org. Plus Gen Y craves “green” fashion) (Media Post, reg. required)

- To The Fallen (interesting “Consumed” column on a record label hoping to remind us that there’s a war going on) (New York Times, reg. requried)

- Social studies/civics teachers say… (teens are engaged in this election and captivated by guess who? Yep. Obama) (Houston Chronicle)

- Teens still love big brands (BrandWeek on the Habbo study – yours truly quoted)

____

Friday I posted a link to a Power Point with Spring Break stats from Nielsen and Anheuser- Busch. Ypulse reader Paul emailed with his take with his first point being: “It was sponsored by Anheuser-Busch.” He also wrote:

The Summary is: College students 21 – 25 years old show a sense of responsibility (slide 4)

Slide 5 – tells us that while yes 70% spent time with their families, 33% spent time partying at a beach or other spring break location…

Slide 15 – Was your behavior over spring break responsible-92% said yes

Slide 16 – Was the behavior of most college students during your last break responsible? the slide shows 33% responsible, or 67% not

Slide 21 – 78% used a designated driver

Slide 29 – Would you say you drink responsibly and in moderation-90%
Apparently how we view our behavior, 90% of us tend to think we are responsible drinkers, and how we view others, 67% did not seem responsible-seem to be contradictory.

Also 78% using a designated driver? With 33% of 21-25 year olds partying, and thinking that 67% did not seem responsible, I’m not sure how we get the summary statement that 21-25 year olds show a sense of responsibility. I think slide 16 really is an indicting slide. And in the middle of the slide they have the word “perceptions.”

____

Happy birthday, Chuck! (Converse turns 100. I wore my high tops way back when until they were ripped) (via The Washington Post)

- Kimora Lee Simmons (launches Fabulosity, a new junior line at Penny’s. Plus jeans for Christian teens) (The Colorado Springs Gazette)

- MTV embraces ‘niche’ (Mika Salmi discusses their vertical strategy. And partners with MyWaves to put its videos on cell phones) (Forbes)

- Vice grows up (The UK Guardian on how the indie zine has come of age with VBS.tv and its new coffee table book)

- The C Spot (Sony’s Crackle gets all Funny or Die with original online comedy)

- How young is too young… (for your kids to go online — interesting WSJ discussion)

- iCarly a hit! (both online and on TV. Plus Miley reigned supreme at the Kids’ Choice Awards and continues her reign of “realness” on YouTube) (MediaWeek) (Reuters) (NewTeeVee)

- Britons frightened of their own young (I don’t think this issue is unique to the UK — we’ve been cracking down on “groups of teens” hanging out in public spaces here since I was a teen) (TIME.com)

- Martin Scorcese has a MySpace (and Queen Rania has a YouTube channel)

An Incentive for Music File Sharing [The Gainesville Sun]

G4 Network Tries a New Game Plan to Get More Guys [USA Today]

Miss Bimbo Website Promotes Extreme Diets and Surgery to 9-Year-Olds [Times Online]

Latest Teen Hangout: The Nearest Gym [Chicago Tribune]

8 Stupid (and Fun!) Youth Group Games

Global Youth Voices: How Teens See Their World

Blog Post of the Week:
Where Are All the Poor, Ugly, Awkward Girls?
from The Dairi Burger

Emo bashing (in Mexico. This is really intense — sorry I’m late on this story, but there has been a wave of violence in March against the “emo” community in Mexico — this latest dispatch alludes to homophobic undertones) (Intersections)

- One Beastie’s hoop dreams (Adam Yauch directing the new youth basketball doc “Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot”) (Pop Candy)

- McDonald’s behind ‘The Lost Ring’ (ARG game promoting the Olympics that we mentioned a while back) (New York TImes, reg. required)

- 69 percent of teen girls (play console games…I’m guessing that at least half of that percentage is on the Wii. Plus the video games girls play) (stat in Media Life Magazine interview on casual gaming) (Contra Costa Times)

- Trusting teen girls (interesting post over at Huffington Post about “Sophie” the troubled teen girl patient in HBO’s “Addiction.” Between having a mother who is a counselor and a husband who is training to be a shrink and all of my own ongoing head shrinkage, I just can’t watch that show)

- If you’re into “High School Confidential” (check out this post where “Cate” responds to Tyra Banks) (MindOH! blog)

- Nick to produce its own ‘HSM’ (called “Spectacular.” Plus The L.A. Times, reg. required, on how Disney is going full throttle with the Jonas Bros.)

- Whole Foods finds its online kid talent (online — its ugc effort appears to have been a success. Plus this kid really, really wants to be famous) (USA Today)

- It’s the people, not the technology (why IT should unblock. Plus I think high schools should be using Big Think – see this Nation write up on the site. And USA Today on “the graduation gap” between suburban and urban high schools) (Fast Company)

Ultimate fights expand to include kids
Ultimate fighting was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls on pay-per-view TV. But the sport often derided as “human cockfighting” is branching out. The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer. The sport, which is also known as mixed martial arts or cage fighting, has already spread far beyond cable television. Last month, CBS became the first of the Big Four television networks to announce a deal to broadcast primetime fights. The fights have attracted such a wide audience, they are threatening to surpass boxing as the nation’s most popular pugilistic sport.
Associated Press, March 27

Warning to parents over children ‘being raised online’
British children are spending more than 20 hours a week online, most of it at social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo, and are in effect being “raised online,” according to research from the Institute for Public Policy Research. The research reinforces the belief of big online brands that social networking sites are the way to get advertisers in front of the lucrative youth market. This month AOL snapped up the world’s third largest networking site, Bebo, for $850 million, while Facebook gained a $15 billion valuation last year when Microsoft spent $240 million on a small stake in the company.
The Guardian, March 25

The “God Particle”
The biggest experiment in particle physics, the Large Hadron Collider, starts this summer in Switzerland. The goal is to find signs of an elusive particle called the Higgs boson—also known as the “God particle”—because it might ultimately lead to a grand theory of the universe.
Newsweek, March 24

Why Teenagers Need Their Own Wheels
Two teenage suspects in a convenience store robbery in Oakville, Ontario, near Toronto, may have made a clean escape had they thought to bring a getaway car along for the heist. Instead, the men fled the store on foot with an undisclosed amount of money, and then called for a taxi—which showed up with two police officers inside. They were immediately arrested and driven to jail. “Obviously not having a getaway vehicle or anything like that and calling a cab is generally not a sign of your most sophisticated criminal,” said Detective Sergeant Kevin Maher of the Halton Regional Police Service.
Reuters, March 20

Re-Judaizing Jesus
For centuries, the discipline of Christian “Hebraics” consisted primarily of Christians cherry-picking Jewish texts to support the traditionally assumed contradiction between the Jews—whose alleged dry legalism contributed to their fumbling their ancient tribal covenant with God—and Jesus, who personally embodied God’s new covenant of love. But today seminaries across the Christian spectrum teach, as Vanderbilt University New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine says, that “if you get the [Jewish] context wrong, you will certainly get Jesus wrong.” Ideally, the reassessment should increase both Jewish-Christian amity and gospel clarity, things that won’t happen if Christians feel that in rediscovering Jesus the Jew, they have lost Christ. Michigan megapastor Rob Bell says that discovering Jesus’ Jewishness causes Christians to develop a new level of scriptural awareness and excitement, because once you do, “You’re in deep. You’re hooked. ‘Cause you can’t ever read it the same way again.”
Time Magazine, March 12

Girls Will Be Boys
A growing population of students at US colleges and universities identify themselves as transgendered. The National Center for Transgender Equality estimates that between a quarter of a percent and 1 percent of the U.S. population is transgender—up to three million Americans. Historically, adults who wished to transition did so in middle age. Today a larger percentage of transitions occur in adolescence or young adulthood. In response, 147 colleges and universities nationwide now include “gender identity and expression” in their nondiscrimination policies, and students will often use gender-neutral pronouns like “ze” and “hir”—especially if they post on campus message boards.
The New York Times, March 16

Divorce Parties
Some divorcees are seeking out, or creating from scratch, marriage-ending markers to celebrate the transition into a new phase of life. In Britain, the Great Northern Firework Company offers a divorce-package fireworks display. Yet another company will melt and mold your wedding ring into a (gunpowder-free) bullet, while the web site WeddingRingCoffin.com sells … well, just that—to bury your dead marriage’s hardware.
CNN, March 18

The elusive John Hughs (inspiration to Judd Apatow and other filmmakers has been MIA for some time. Plus NPR on impact of “Long Duck Dong,” the last of the Asian American stereotypes? He [LDD] came up at the Harold & Kumar panel at SXSW as well) (L.A. Times, reg. required) (NPR via Pop Candy)

- Interesting new music model (Grooveshark) (The Gainesville Sun)

- The next wave… (of “green” songwriters) (Chicago Sun Times)

- Booking Talib Kweli (college students swarm the rapper’s MySpace page and convince him to stop at their campus) (Modesto Bee)

- Google gets into the kids’ safety space (with some help from Common Sense Media. The site is here….for those of you familiar with Teen People or Current TV, that’s Anne Zehren the founding publisher of Teen People and former President of Marketing at Current. Plus Woomail promises “safe email for kids” and no spam!) (News.com)

- The war against junk food advertising to kids (moves online) (Media Life Magazine)

- FedPitch (the federal government goes a little “American Idol” in its search for new ideas)

- Boomers sweating… (the quarterlife crisis) (USA Today)

- MTV’s short shorts (launching a bunch of new short form programs across many platforms. Plus G4 going beyond gaming to reach its young male demo) (Hollywood Reporter) (USA Today)

- Perez Hilton (brand magnet) (CNBC)

Very cool video (For the new book called The Daring Book for Girls)

- Shriek! (R.L. Stein’s Goosebumps are back!) (The New York Times. reg. required)

- Just a rumor… (But it’s likely that Thomas Sangster will play TinTin in Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s film version of the beloved classic comic strip.) (Daily Mail)

- Let it be…I guess (Heather Mills is planning on writing a series of children’s books.) (Entertainment wise)

- And how appropriate, introducing BACA ( a.k.a. Bloggers Against Celebrity Authors. I’d be in, except I love Jamie Lee Curtis.) (Mother Reader)

- BACA, do comics count? (Hugh Jackman partners with Virgin comics to create Nowhere Man.) (Reuters)

- ReadRoger comments… (on the prevalence of the color pink on YA covers for girls)

- Interesting insight (into the selection of the Hugos.) (Educating Alice)

- Cheer! (the new cheerleading book I mentioned in a previous Ypulse Book Essentials, reviewed by Lynn Harris at Salon.com, daypass required)

Hello Kitty launches a social network (in Europe called Sanriotown…I think this will be huge.) (TechRadar.com)

- Where’s the business model? (Wired joins The Economist in wondering how the big social networking sites will monetize. And WePlay another niche sports site launches with high profile backers — kind of like Takkle for the younger set perhaps?) (News.com)

- Another feature on teen tech entrepreneurs (this time in Entrepreneur magazine features MyYearbook’s Catherine Cook [MyYearbook is a Ypulse advertiser] and Donny Ouyang, the 16-year-old founder of Kinkarso Tech Limited where he is making $6,500 a month!)

- Hallmark finds younger viewers consume TV differently (from Boomers. Surprise. Surprise. The Aussies are calling byte-sized consumption or TV shorts online “snack dramas”) (Broadcasting & Cable) (Sydney Morning Herald)

- Is PBS cool? (RedOrbit says it’s beginning to gain traction with younger viewers)

- MTV launches a newer, better… (video player)

- Are albums irrelevant? (with young people downloading “songs” has the album era passed? I kind of hope not — what if someone is dreaming up another “Tommy”?) (PSFK)

- Slate debunks teen pharma parties (again)

- The Girlscouts hire a CMO (good for them! I think every non-profit trying to reach youth should have one) (BrandWeek)

- Plastic surgery is still surgery (a sad reminder) (FOX)

Teens tuning out… (the message to turn down the volume on their MP3 players) (Reuters)

- Muxtape (new digital mixed tape site everyone’s buzzing about)

- Reznor v. Radiohead (Wired has the “innovation smackdown.” Plus the Washington Post, reg. required, on the future of radio)

- Managing fandom (when you’re a tween star) (Variety)

- Viewers still high (on “The Hills”) (Reuters)

- Bebo adds Unilever (to “Sophia’s Diary”) (Brand Republic)

- Reverse Marketology (kind of like reverse psychology except it’s marketers like Dove telling you you’re beautiful just the way you are…except you still need their product or Weight Watchers saying diets are evil) (Newsweek)

- Real life Sarah Marshalls (won’t forget the billboard campaign for the flick. Plus there is an ARG [alternate reality game] promoting the Olympics) (L.A. Times)

- One Day One Job (a blog for recent grads looking for that first job)

- What’s in a lipstick (girls and their moms find out…reminds me of a class I took at Antioch called “Chemistry for life”) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Fresh Films kicks off its competition again (former Ypulse advertiser Samsung Fresh Films is at it again with this year’s teen filmmaking competition)

Ultimate fighting (kiddie style. Thank goodness they are wearing protective gear. Plus the new WWE kids’ mag.) (Huffington Post) (Folio)

- Teen rock bands (storming the European charts. Plus the eyes of Amy Winehouse) (Cafe Babel) (BrandNoise)

- Mixwit (in response to yesterday’s Essentials, which featured Muxtape, Ypulse commenter Jeff says check out Mixwit… “I like it a little better than muxtape because you can decorate your mixtape with your own artwork and photos or choose a cool retro cassette face. So it feels a little more like an old style mix tape.”)

- Wayout TV (Damon Wayans follows MC Hammer to the web with his own urban comedy play) (AdAge.com, reg. required)

- Gossip on the go (TMZ launches mobile sites. Plus mobile youth stats from…Mobile Youth. And Verizon goes mobile social with Loopt) (Media Post, reg. required) (Mashable)

- ‘The Hills’ movie? (And the premiere was streamed over 1.8 million times online. Plus younger viewers love cable movies) (Reality Blurred) (New York Times, reg. required) (Media Life Magazine)

- Paris Hilton is happy to be a role model (for your daughters. WTF?) (Reuters)

- A parent’s view of Webkinz (it’s evil genius. Plus Handipointz hopes to help motivate kids to do chores. And online safety is parents’ responsibility.) (Slate) (Tech Crunch) (Ars Technica)

- Spring break (the college kids aren’t as bad as some might think. I’ll post more about this on Monday) (.ppt online)

- Grand Theft Auto (is launching the latest version of its game with a social network — this seems like a weird add on, why not launch something within one of the existing gaming social networks?) (Giga Om)

- Paramount gets into the game (casual games, that is, like its sister company Nick/MTV. Paramount is a Ypulse advertiser) (Paid Content)

____

4122: Ypulse College Media Roundup
Categories: Campus Marketing

Ypulse reader Jay sent me some interesting research today from mtvU and the Associated Press (they interviewed over 2,000 18-24 year-old college students). Here are some of the highlights:

- 33 percent are feeling somewhat happy about their lives while 31 percent are very happy

- 70 percent said it matters more than usual who gets elected president this time around.

- 68 percent said the Iraq war was a mistake

- In terms of what is worrying them the most (finances, relationships/dating, grades, friendships), the biggest worry was grades and the biggest cause of stress (job, schoolwork, physical health, emotional health, finding a job after graduation, getting into grad school) was schoolwork

- 23 percent said they feel depressed some of the time (45 percent said they enjoy life most of the time)

- Only 36 percent said they felt understood by their family “most of the time.”

- 10 percent were worried they personally were drinking too much

- 9 percent were worried about having casual sex

- 55 percent said the internet is so important to their campus life they couldn’t live without it

This was very disturbing:

- 11 percent said their friends had made a suicide attempt and 9 percent said they seriously thought about it.

There are loads more stats and questions so definitely check it out (it’s a .pdf).

Peanut Labs also released some research related to the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War and how young people are feeling about it (they want an immediate troop withdrawal). Also, GoCollege.com has posted The Student’s Guide to Voting.

The New York Times, reg. required, ran a piece on how professors are becoming more transparent, leveraging social media to share more about themselves and their work with students and colleagues. And finally Ernst & Young launched its own Gen Y career site called EY Insight.

____

Bindi Wear (oh my. I worry about Bindi — she’s becoming a Martha Stewart-like brand before hitting puberty) (Jezebel)

- Nickelodeon launching three mobile sites (one for kids, one for teens [The N] and one for parents that will “include a selection of kids’ games, pictures, and flipbooks; teen-oriented quizzes and blogs; and daily parenting tips as well as access to information on local city family activities.” Plus Slate reviews MTV’s latest dating show [thumbs down])

- The Jonas Bros. ‘Living the Dream’ (Disney greenlights the new reality series. Plus Hannah Montana toys under attack for containing lead. And Forbes has an interview with the ABC Family honcho) (Hollywood Reporter) (L.A. Times, reg. required)

- ‘Dawn’ from ‘Buffy’… (aka Michelle Trachtenberg is joining the cast of “Gossip Girl”)

- KidZui reviewed (by Ars Technica)

- UK social networking study (I mentioned this study before, the one that said socnets are taking time away from homework, but ReadWriteWeb has a nice post about it complete with charts! And LastFM launches a radio widget for “Sophia’s Diary” on Bebo) (Media Post, reg. required)

- Trend lecture (on generational differences from scenarioDNA’s Tim Stock who is teaching a course at Parsons) (BrandNoise)

- If you’re based in Seattle (don’t miss this – National Film Festival for Talented Youth)

P.S. I mentioned the new teen flick “Remember the Daze” in yesterday’s newsletter and the link was broken. Apologies, here it is!

• Kids as a force for positive social change (.pdf) – research (used for marketing) from Just Kid Inc.
• ‘Soul Searching’ Panel – Ministry conversations from Fuller’s Center for Youth and Family Ministry
• Americans identify their most important relationships – The Barna Update
• During spring break ‘raunch’ is rebranded as confidence
• Sex and intoxication among women more common on spring break
• Stress pains many in college
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl is fastest-selling Nintendo game ever
• Keeping kids safe online: myths and tips
• Younger teens traveling more
• Police say rosaries are newest gang symbol
• Celebrity obsession damaging kids

• High end fashion and accessories – Download this free CPYU Trend Alert as a .pdf handout
• Bleacher Theology. . . . – Walt Mueller’s latest blog (on his new blog site)
• Goodbye Frankie and Annette – A look at the physical and moral dangers of spring break and how we can encourage our teens to make Godly decisions
• CPYU Trend Alert – Salvia, a relatively new and dangerous drug (download the .pdf of last week’s handout)

‘Pokemones’ (Chilean teens into fashion, technology and communication-free casual sexual encounters in public spaces but not as any sort of political statement….fascinating article) (Newsweek)

- ABC Family’s ‘Greek’ fashion (the show will be promoted in Aeropostale stores)

- Fallout Boy’s Pete Wentz (has a clothing line at Nordstrom)

- VMars Creator Rob Thomas behind the new ’90120′ (I somehow missed that. Lots of new details on the CW spin-off) (Reuters)

- Facebook launches new privacy controls (and will launch chat. Plus more trouble for JuicyCampus) (Reuters) (USA Today)

- Screen time is a part time job (for teens, according to this research) (Labspaces.net)

- WWE expands presence in Habbo (with virtual “Road to Wrestlemania”) (AdWeek)

- Prom Advice (redesigned site from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising)

- Subscription-based Kidzui browser (offering “kid safe” browsing is now live as is PBS Kids’ subscription-based service) (via Cynopsis Kids)

P.S. Last night I saw a screening of the short documentary film “Carissa” about a former child prostitute who went on to get an MBA from UCLA. It was very powerful. They will be making the film available with a curriculum for folks working with at-risk youth/juvenile offenders in about six months…You can email the filmmaker via the website for more info.

P.P.S. Eric Spencer interviewed me for his podcast about Ypulse….I’m at the end. He’s funny.

Online Games by the Hundreds, with Tie-Ins [NY Times]

STDs Still a Threat to Many Teens [Baltimore Sun]

Sold! Cornflake Goes for $1350 [CNN]

Spring Break–Should You Let Your Teen Go? [The Daily Journal]

Simpsonize Yourself!

Holy Prison Break (from the Brick Testament)

Blog Post of the Week:
4 Temptations of a Youth Worker from Real Students

Selling Lauren Conrad (How “The Hills” star is attempting to become a multiplatform brand) (WSJ)

- MTV rocks the mall (in an effort to promote its new series “Rock the Cradle”) (MultiChannel News)

- Paramount borrows from “The Breakfast Club” (to promote “American Teen”) (Entertainment Weekly)

- ‘Chocolate Rain’ (continues its reign winning a YouTube award) (Washington Post, reg. required)

- MySpace mobile (just launched on Sprint) (Textually)

- GoCrossCampus (“Risk”-like MMOG is taking campuses by storm) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Vizwoz (new UK virtual world for teens is live. Plus Numedeon [creators of Whyville] launched SportsBLOX in beta and Tech Deck Live is another virtual skate park coming soon! – thanks Izzy!)

- crunchyroll (a cool community site that appears to be for Asian youth – it launched in 2006, but I just found it)

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4129: Happy Teens = Buying Deoderant & Whitening Toothpaste
Categories: Marketing

I’m no researcher, but I always wonder about factors like how questions are phrased, how much respondents answer questions like they think they are supposed to (especially teens), and even whether you may have caught a teen on a good day (I’m happy!) vs. a bad day (life sucks). Because of all this, I take a lot of market research with a big grain of salt, especially if it’s for others in the marketing community, since the goal is ultimately to show there is a market for specific products. With that preamble, the folks at OTX Research sent over their latest report they did with The Intelligence Group (a Ypulse advertiser) on teens’ self image. Guess what they found? Teens are happy! But care enough about their looks to spend money on product…

- 81% of teens said they were at least somewhat happy and over a third (36%) say they are very happy

- 61% of teens said they worry about their looks, and 48% said they compare the way they look with friends and peers.

- 50% of teens said looks and physical appearance were very important when it comes to ‘being respected by others’, but only 33% said it was important for ‘being liked by others’

Which leads to…

- The survey found that teens spend an average of $27 per month on health and
beauty products

- Deodorants were the most commonly used products used on a daily basis (84%)

- Whitening toothpastes (55%)

- lip balms (54%)

- perfumes (52%)

- and facial scrubs (44%)

And who is the most important influence when it comes to how teens feel about themselves? Not mom or dad, not even their friends….it’s their boyfriend or girlfriend (if they have one). Interestingly, religion comes second:

- Your girlfriend/boyfriend (84%)

- Your religion (82%)

- Your friends (79%)

- Your parents (74%)

- Your teacher(s) (72%)

- TV shows you watch (51%)

- Celebrities (e.g. actors, athletes, musicians) (49%)

- Magazines you read (38%)

- Advertising you see (on TV or elsewhere) (33%)

- Other kids in school (31%)

Some of the results from the last set of questions definitely feel like teens answered how they thought they should answer:

Would you rather…

Get a new car for your HS graduation (96%)
Get plastic surgery for your HS graduation (4%)

Exercise to lose weight (91%)
Take diet pills to lose weight (9%)

Get your College degree (90%)
Win American Idol (10%)

Have a lot of friends (76%)
Have a lot of money (24%)

Feel good (69%)
Look good (31%)

Be told you have a great personality (68%)
Be told you are hot (32%)

Be Comfortable (68%)
Be Fashionable (32%)

Be the smartest kid in school (55%)
Be the best looking kid in school (45%)

Be 10 pounds under normal weight (54%)
Be 10 pounds over normal weight (46%)

Be one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People (53%)
Be one of Forbes Magazine’s 50 Richest People (47%)

_______

William wants an ‘Ugly Doll’ (that’s a “Free to be you and me” reference for this New York Times article, reg. required, about how boys are loving Ugly Dolls – I love them, too)

- Shrek (the musical. I had no clue this was coming to Broadway. Plus WWE setting its sights on kids) (Variety)

- ‘Got Milk’ (goes social. Plus the Chicago Tribune says gyms are the new teen hangout) (Media Post, reg. required)

- Scion goes DIY (giving fans a chance to customize their own personal Scion logo online) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Virgin offers new plan (for “Phone Poets”) (BrandWeek)

- Social networking’s business mode (takes a hit…from The Economist, which underscores what the teens in Austin were telling us — MySpace/Facebook are the new email. Plus music fans dig Wikipedia…over MySpace ) (Yahoo! News)

- Move over CW (younger viewers love Univision. Plus The WB frog may live again…online. And a gay character to be revealed on “Gossip Girl”) (New York Post) (Media Week) (After Elton)

- ‘South Park’ (online..full episodes. Plus Ryan Adams gets vloggy) (Reel Pop) (NewTeeVee)

- ‘Teasing Batman’ (L.A. Times, reg. required, on 42 Entertainment’s campaign for “The Dark Knight”)

- Lost Boys of Sudan (branded. Plus “brand Obama”) (AdAge.com, reg. required) (Fast Company)

Teens Spending Too Much Screen Time [Forbes]

Spitzer Scandal Tricky for Parents [AP]

Here’s Looking at You, Kids [Newsweek]

Two Million Minutes: A documentary about high school students in China, India, and the U.S.

Make Your Own Thriller Video

Thumb Wrestling Federation (seriously…!)

Changents.com: A social networking site for change agents

America’s Prom Queen (This is actually a little disturbing)

Blog Post of the Week: Seeking Not, from Lent2008

Snoop (the teen years – new animated show coming to Comedy Central. I’m scared. But maybe more scared by Paris Hilton’s new MTV series where she hunts for a new “BFF”. Plus teens are all about FOX when it comes to network viewership) (Digital Spy) (Broadcasting & Cable) (Media Life)

- Here comes the onslaught of… (mixed martial arts movies. Plus MySpace proves to be a talent source for casting films like “Paranoid Park”) (L.A. Times, reg. required) (Wired)

- UK teens wanna be famous (for being famous. At least that’s what their teachers are saying the impact of celeb culture has been…Maybe Channel 4′s new programming will help) (Stuff.co.nz) (Guardian UK)

- Young Asians are mad multitaskers… (who should be reached via mobile) (Adoi Magazine) (Next Great Thing)

- Guess who gets the most screen time? (poor children who can’t play outside in their ‘hoods)

- Stop panicking! (The internet is not melting kids’ brains…And if you really want to be inspired by “kids today,” check out these teen ACLU scholarship winners. Plus it’s not just them, the internet is driving more volunteering) (Salon.com, day pass required) (Red Orbit)

- Sex ed (for parents! And teen sex ed crusader Shelby Knox on the 1 in 4 girls has an STD stat) (Huffington post)

- I get hired with a little help from my friends (who also get hired, too. New Gen Y hiring trend: recruit their friends) (MSNBC)

- Obama is My Cool Art Teacher and Clinton is My Mean Science Teacher (funny youth perspective on the candidates) (New America Media)

Remember Miss O & Friends? (the tween girl site founded by now 19-year-old Juliette Brindak? They tell me that Procter & Gamble is their single largest investor and mentioned their stuff will be in Target stores later this year. According to CosmoGIRL! the company is now valued at $15 million)

- Victoria’s Secret may be going less sexy (but not the Pussycat Dolls – they’re launching their own line of lingerie – who cares if their TV audience is tween girls!?) (New York Magazine)

- In defense of… (cheering) (Newsweek)

- My favorite kind of wrestling (thumb wrestling!)

- ‘High School Confidential’ (a ratings boon for WE) (MediaWeek)

- The latest Grunwald multitalking research (presented eMarketer style. Plus G4 to study its target audience, young males, for a whole year) (MediaPost, reg. required)

- ‘Step Up’ (case study of how Disney marketed the sequel on MySpace towards the bottom of this how to market on social networking sites piece…what? A teen movie profile with an existing following on MySpace did well? Plus ReelPop reviews Bebo’s latest video effort “Sophia’s Diary”…no webcam/handheld look this time around) (AdAge.com, reg. required)

- Honesty not always the best policy (at least when it comes to Facebook apps — the “Honesty Box” is quickly becoming a cyberbullying tool) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Change Agents (latest social networking site focused on people doing “good”) (Ode Magazine)

- Radiohead seeks animators (in a ugc contest to animate its next music video)

- Young people aren’t reading newspapers (in print, but they are online…Like we didn’t know this) (MarketingVOX)

P.S. Interesting response to my post on whether tech is making Gen Y dumber and another good summary of the youth literacy issue.

4114: ‘High School Confidential’s’ Very Un-’Juno’ Episode
Categories: TV

I tuned in for the second installment of WE’s “High School Confidential” last night, which followed Courtney and her younger sister, who became pregnant at 15. Given all of the hoopla over “Juno” and Jamie Lynne, I thought it was really interesting to watch the reality of one girl’s teen pregnancy — her mother is angry and disappointed. Her father forbids her to even consider having an abortion (they’re very Catholic), and her mother decides for her that she must give the baby up for adoption. They were ultimately supportive of their daughter through the pregnancy (where she admitted to being very depressed), but we watch Courtney express the painful reality that her sister will be thinking of her daughter every single day of her life. We also hear about the judgment and whispers from her sister’s friends. Very different from Diablo Cody’s indie fairy tale indeed.

There are definitely some quirks in how this series was put together — the annoying voiceover, not enough supporting footage (same shots over and over) and jumping back and forth throughout four years of high school can leave you confused about which year you’re actually in, but I definitely think it offers an honest portrayal of some very real issues, like teen pregnancy, that we wouldn’t see in a scripted drama or narrative film. I actually think shows like “High School Confidential” and MTV’s “True Life” can be a window into the lives of today’s teens for those of us trying to understand and reach them.

Sort of related:

Amy from ABC Family emailed to let me know that “Greek” and “America’s Prom Queen” both have social networks built around the show. I wonder how active these stay once a show is canceled — I guess they’re sort of temporal or “pop up” social networks.

And…”America’s Prom Queen” is also featured heavily as a part of CosmoGIRL’s virtual prom in There.com.

Casual games galore (Nick launches over 600 new games. Wow. We are planning a pre-conference on casual gaming for tweens and teens at the Ypulse 2008 National Mashup. Feel free to pitch me speaker recommendations for this…Plus Marvel’s Ironman and Wolverine to be adapted for tween boys on Nicktoons) (New York Times, reg. required) (USA Today)

- Radio Disney (to be measured by Arbitron. Plus Miley changes her name) (Associated Press)

- Just Kid (launches a kids marketing newsletter) (.pdf)

- YouTube Awards (online now. Plus Heavy.com launches an ad network for its trove of sites for young men) (MediaPost, reg. required)

- Facebook bans homeschooled teens (And you can now do math while you exercise) (FOX News) (Ocala.com)

- ‘Miss Guided’ (I’m excited for this new series…who’s your favorite TV high school guidance counselor? I loved “Jeff Rosso” from “Freaks & Geeks” as well as Tami Taylor on “FNL”) (Media Life Magazine)

- Party like it’s 1999 (new teen flick “Remember the Daze”)

- UrbanGirlz (for teen girls of color. Plus what’s new at Today’s Teen Online)

The Answer: More Guns on Campuses?
Horrified by recent campus shootings, Arizona state senator Karen Johnson has come up with a proposal in keeping with the Taurus .22-caliber pistol tucked in her purse: Get more guns on campus. She sponsored a bill that would allow people with a concealed weapons permit—limited to those 21 and older—to carry their firearms at public colleges and universities. She said she believed that the recent carnage at Northern Illinois University could have been prevented or limited if an armed student or professor had intercepted the gunman. She initially wanted her bill to cover all public schools, kindergarten and up, but other lawmakers convinced her it stood a better chance of passing if it were limited to higher education.
The New York Times, March 5

Stressed-out Teens Get Relaxation Lessons
Mind-body relaxation training, already popular among New England prep schools, is seeping into public high schools as principals and teachers worry about students’ ever-mounting stress. Specialists from Massachusetts General Hospital have begun fanning out among urban and suburban high schools in the greater Boston area. “The kids are stressed out at every school, in every environment,” said Marilyn Wilcher, senior director of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at MGH. “At Exeter, the stress is getting into Harvard. At the inner-city schools, it’s whether they’re going to be alive the next day.”
The Boston Globe, March 5

Hey…Watch Your Language
Every first week of March from this point forward has been designated No Cussing Week in South Pasadena, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Mayor Michael Cadciotti said, ‘‘It provides us a reminder to be more civil, to elevate the level of discourse.’’ 14-year-old McKay Hatch, the founder of South Pasadena High School’s No Cussing Club, originally proposed this bill during a recent break between study hall and tennis practice. Hatch’s No Cussing Club has been around for nine months, has a Web site, claims 10,000 members, and boasts chapters in several states and countries. Hatch considers his greatest achievement, though, to be getting his hometown of 25,000 to become a cuss-free zone.
The New York Times, March 6

Overachievers under 21 (ABC News lists 10 including Ypulse Mashup alums Ashley Qualls from Whateverlife and Catharine Cook from MyYearbook (a Ypulse advertiser). Plus according to a Ypulse tipster, MyFirstPaycheck.com was founded by a 17-year-old girl and her 23-year-old brother)

- Download driver’s ed vids (for your iPod)

- All you 80s kids… (this is for you — Make your own Thriller video)

- Nick goes to the mall (with a theme park within the massive Mall of America – I will always hate Mall of America for replacing my beloved Opryland theme park in Nashville where I grew up. Plus Disney’s Raven-Symone is throwing a pajama party tour in 55 cities.) (MediaPost, reg. required)

- MTV rolls out new reality slate (more “Idol-like” music themed shows) (Variety)

- Life, Inc. (The Deloitte Foundation’s attempt to help prepare young people for careers in business…virtually)

- Facebook generation… (not able to fully leverage their Facebook generation skillset at work. Busted for cheating at college. Dealing with friending their parents. And now able to share movie clips from Paramount [Paramount is a Ypulse advertiser]) (News.com) (The Star) (Chicago Tribune) (USA Today)

- ITVS attempts to engage young people (in how we grow our food with a mashup contest for its doc “The King of Corn”)

Rich kids are in again (The CW will spin off “90210,” yes the “90210″ we all remember. Recycling is good…for TV. Defamer offers casting advice) (Hollywood Reporter)

- Britney goes anime (in her latest video. Oh yeah, she makes music…) (Jossip)

- NIN (on YouTube…evidently Trent Reznor passed the $1 million mark in download sales as well. Plus YouTube on Tivo and on your own site — for non-commercial use only) (New York Times, reg. required) (News.com)

- AOL buys Bebo (if they can integrate it with AIM, Bebo could be bigger in the U.S.) (Ad Age, reg. required)

- Nick’s ‘Big Green’ initiative (“Designed to empower kids to take action on the environment through gaming and grassroots activity…”) (Mediabistro)

- Obama ad contest (MoveOn solicits user generated ads to air on TV) (TechCrunch)

- Classic ‘This American Life’ (on childhood memories)

- Scent-free schools (this is kind of funny. I wish we could have banned Drakkar Noir in high school) (Huffington Post)

- It’s not ‘addiction’ (it’s “disconnect anxiety”) (Textually)

P.S. YouthOutlook just launched its second youth blog-a-thon — this time around the theme is violence. You need to be between the ages of 14-26 to participate. Get blogging!)

My next DVD purchase (“Square Pegs”!) (Entertainment Weekly)

- UK drama “Skins” goes mobile (on a mobile social network called WeGlu. Plus social networking is eating up UK teens’ homework time) (Guardian)

- Utility first (when it comes to teens and cell phones) (TCM.net)

- Younger online TV viewers… (more favorable to ads that appear next to their favorite shows online) (Media Post, reg. required)

- Teen news feeds aggregated! (Ypulse pal Guy Kawasaki has launched a Teen news aggregator as part of his collection of Alltop sites)

- Meet The Jellybeats (“The JellyBeats are a collection of jellyfish, each one representing a different musical genre. They dance, talk and swim in the style of their musical preference.” The characters are geared to 14-18 year olds and will be launching on Bebo soon)

- Zoning the internet (for any of you wonky types who are into regulation stuff – it’s very dense)

- Anti-Abercrombie campaign (opposing the naming of a Children’s Hospital wing after the steamy teen retailer in exchange for a big donation) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Self harm… (in the LGBT youth community. Plus Matthew Shepard’s mom still working on behalf of gay youth) (Pink News) (USA Today)

- Holy crap (one in four teen girls has an STD) (Huffington Post)
- ’2 Million Minutes’ (cool looking doc on high school students in India, China and the U.S. Plus more corporate creep into schools as companies clamor to sponsor curriculum) (WSJ via Vanessa Van Petten)

- It’s a Hard Knox Life (P&G’s Dave Knox launches a blog and shares his youth marketing preso)

P.S. Speaking to parents at Palo Alto High tonight at around 7:30 p.m. if anyone wants to say hello. Also, my Opryland reference yesterday — Opryland was torn down and replaced by a giant mall called Opry Mills — it was owned by the Simon Corp., which used to be an investor in Mall of America. Sorry to be obtuse!

‘Friday Night Lights’ saved! (for a third season. You mean I’ll have to watch “Riggins” every week again?) (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

- ‘Buffy’ beds a woman (and there’s debate over whether this comic book storyline was just a marketing ploy. Plus fans want more [gay] kissing on “As The World Turns”) (ABC News) (Media Life Magazine)

- Life after ‘Rent’ (the latest Broadway productions designed to keep attracting younger audiences) (TIME.com)

- Abbey Dawn (Avril launches a new juniors lifestyle brand at Kohl’s inspiring this funny letter. And the Olsens also launch a new line in the UK.) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Idolator) (Telegraph UK)

- Disney to be big in Japan (launching an animation channel. Plus Raven-Symone: “the perfect model for the channel’s strategy for its talent roster”) (USA Today) (L.A. Times, reg. required)

- Indie teen angels (Salon.com reviews teen themed indies “Paranoid Park” and “Snow Angels” both opening this weekend. Plus remaking “The Breakfast Club”? Why mess with a classic?) (Entertainment Weekly)

- Cartoon Doll Emporium founder… (to launch a summer camp? Sounds kind of cool)

- Youth media treasure trove (of research)

P.S. No posting tomorrow — flying off to Austin for SXSW Interactive early in the a.m.!

Lohans get real (new reality series featuring the Lohan clam to premiere on E!. This depresses me.) (Multichannel News)

- ‘MySpace Chart’ (MySpace gets its own show in the UK…but are UK youth still tuning in?. Plus The CW downsizes And new device lets parents limit screentime…and helps prevent obesity) (The Social) (The Guardian) (MediaWeek) (Information Week)

- Bebo debuts… (“Conquering Demons,” a new snowboarding doc)

- What? People don’t want to watch TV ads online? (maybe on YouTube…but not on Firebrand, which is closing shop) (AdRants)

- Young people heaviest data users (on cell phones according to new Pew study. And “Teen mobile users [ages 13-17] were the most likely demographic to remember seeing mobile advertising.” Plus cell phones empowering college women to take more risks…going places they normally wouldn’t go) (Media Post, reg. required) (Web Pro News) (Textually)

- Flip launched its Facebook app today (Hearst is working with Clearspring to develop widgets for its mags [they didn't send a link to the press release]. And COSMOgirl! launches Students for Safe Prom Promise or S4SP)

- Handipoints (new virtual world for kids AND parents)

4087: SXSW: What Teens Want In Websites, Cell Phones & Video Games
Categories: Gaming Wireless Web

It’s day three @ SXSW Interactive and I’m getting that coming down feeling as we head into our last day tomorrow. I’ve been able to spend some quality time with friends like Izzy, Joi, Maura & Lauren, Robin, and Alice. Looking forward to lunch with Randi today and the Ypulse all ages mixer tonight. For Ypulse, this year has been all about growth, and I think moderating a panel, co-facilitating a Core Conversation and holding an evening event has really helped increase the visibility of our brand and educate people about what Ypulse is all about.

I think the Ypulse teen panel was a huge success. For my readers in the marketing world, teen panels are a staple at most youth marketing events — not as much in the tech world and definitely not at SXSW. I think we broke some new ground here — with seven amazing teens who spanned age (12-17) and race (African American, Latino, white) and socioeconomic background. They were also incredibly articulate and were psyched that adults actually wanted to hear what they had to say. I have to again thank Amy and Beth at MindOH! for helping us recruit these exceptional teens from three different local schools. The panel received lots of blog coverage so you can read different reactions on the following posts:

@SXSW: Checking in with the teens and tweens
SXSW: What Teens Want Online & On Their Phone
Teens’n'Phones
South By Southwest Interactive Festival: Teens and tweens love online video, hate advertising and are getting tired of social-networking sites
SXSW Morning-so-far: Kids online panel
From SXSW: What Teens Want Online & On Their Phones
What teens want online and their phones
SXSW 2008: What Teens Want Online & On Their Phones (this person must type really fast)

I didn’t come away with the same conclusion that these teens hated advertising — they just hate intrusive, deceptive advertising, like the rest of us. They got that sites need ads to keep the lights on and liked ads for stuff they want like sneakers and video games. What surprised a lot of people was how money and budget factors into their attitudes around technology, especially with cell phones — lots of limits from mom and dad when it comes to spending. They also were very resistant to MMOs where they had to pay a monthly subscription. Educators reading Ypulse will be happy to know two of the teen girls — Allandra (in the photo) and Shelby who was part of our gaming conversation, were very concerned about text speak or acronyms showing up in schoolwork.

On Sunday John Davison and I lead a Core Conversation with Shelby and Randall, two teen gamers from a local high school here in Austin. Both of these teens were console gamers, so it was definitely a specific point of view, but one I found fascinating. I learned….

- They like violence, but goofy, over the top fantasy violence. I think uber realistic violence actually makes them uneasy (realistic war games or anything Columbine like). Girls who play console games also share this point of view. When we were talking about Grand Theft Auto, Shelby confessed that the prostitutes in the game made her uneasy — because you are a male when playing (no way to be a female character) and because girls get called prostitutes all the time at school (this disturbed me). Now that they’re 15 — ratings don’t matter. Both have played M rated games and don’t see it as a big deal.

- They love puzzles and STORY. Their ideal game would include puzzles with copious amounts of violence. But all the amazing graphics in the world don’t make up for lack of story. This is why they still play and love Zelda. They hate games that end too soon, but also don’t like game that go on and on like Grand Theft Auto.

- They wanted games to work on older consoles (again price/money factor) and would pay more for a game that did vs. having to go out and buy a new expensive console. They also didn’t want to pay subscriptions unless they could share them with multiple players, friends, etc. Would donate to a game…

- Even though they were technically “gamers”… they wouldn’t identify with that label at school because it means they would be “geeks,” the kind that are really into Lord of the Rings.

- Both of these teens had parents who play video games — and have played with them. Video gaming is social for them — they are playing with others in Halo, usually friends they know and even at their video game club in school. They play in the living room at home, not holed up in their rooms.

- Gamers might play a casual game to kill time… but I’m convinced that non-gamer teens are heavier users of online Flash games and the Wii console. Shelby indicated that’s what the other girls play. She was really against any game that felt explicitly girly or girl focused though she did enjoy The Sims and was more open to playing “serious” games that were educational in nature. Shelby is the exception — being a girl gamer — this crowd is mostly still guys. Neither owned a Wii.

I was struck that neither Shelby or Randall thought they were actively learning anything from their game play except hand eye coordination, which gamers master early — yet they love puzzle games. I think there’s a ton of passive learning happening though.

I’m sure there are more insights I’m not remembering, but these were some of the big takeaways for me.

Posted by anastasia

Set your DVRs… (“High School Confidential” premieres tonight on WE. Plus check out this interview with one of the students on ELLEgirl)

- ‘One Life To Live’ (does its version of the Jamie Lynne Spears story) (Reuters)

- Abercrombie’s R-rated new underwear pitch (Bob Garfield: “You’re 16, and you are therefore a walking-talking hormone engine, so why not visit our website, declare yourself at least 18 and watch our semi-soft-porn vignette? There are nipples involved!”) (AdAge.com, reg. required)

- Pitchfork to launch its own version of MTV… (or at least the old MTV that was more about music, online)

- Inside Tony Hawk’s empire (how he helped turn skateboarding into a multibillion-dollar industry) (USA Today)

- Haven’t got time for the pain (one fifth of college students are abusing prescription drugs) (Reuters)

- The Tiger Woods of swimming? (Meet 13-year-old Lia Neal) (New York Times, reg. required)

- The ‘Text Generation Gap’ (and, more importantly, danah’s take) (New York Times, reg. required)

- The new MySpace safety PSA (obligatory? And MyYearbook is now the number four social networking site. Full disclosure: MyYearbook is a Ypulse advertiser) (AdGabber) (Venture Beat)

- More teen multi-tasking research (new report from Grunwald) (Media Post, reg. required)

P.S. I’m going to type up my notes from the Steven Johnson/Henry Jenkins keynote tomorrow — ran out of time today (it was way, way better than the Facebook keynote).

P.P.S. To the tipster who sent the NSBA report and BizWeek chart, thanks! I covered them awhile back here and here.

The Monthly Teen Mag Roundup gives Ypulse readers a sneak preview at what the biggest teen magazines will be featuring in their April issues before they hit newsstands. Recurring themes include Gossip Girl, going green and of course, prom.

Seventeen boasts “Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere, who talks about “her fight against whalers in Japan, why voting matters and her very personal crusade to find the right guy.” Of course her guy is much older co-star Milo Ventimiglia (he’s 30). On the “green” tip, Seventeen offers an eco-friendly fashion spread as well as a guide on “how to save the world” in three easy steps. Just kidding. They do have a guide though. For prom, it’s all about the hair in April (you HAVE to have bought that dress by now, right?). “Gossip Girl’s” Chace Crawford gives guy advice and there’s a handy list of diseases you can get from making out. Yum.

Teen Vogue’s cover girl is Camilla Belle, who plays a prehistoric Helen of Troy in “10,000 B.C.” out in March. Her answer to the now prerequisite question on how you differentiate yourself from Hollywood’s bad girl crew? She’s doing it the Brazilian way – Camilla still lives with her parents. “I don’t know if I want to go and live on my own yet, so living at home is great.” More interesting is Teen Vogue’s “Hot Topic” for April: Should middle schoolers have access to birth control? Girls for and against give their two cents. They also offer a “Going Green” beauty feature, ways to personalize your prom dress, and an interview with the younger Lohan – Alli. “Ali Lohan makes no secret of the fact that seeing her sister’s [Lindsay Lohan] successful career is what inspired her to attempt to launch her own.” — uh oh.

CosmoGIRL! will feature “Dancing With the Stars” Julianne Hough, aka “America’s sexy new sweetheart” (note: sexy). Evidently she’s one of the “Fresh Faces of Hollywood,” which also includes, of course, “Gossip Girl’s” Leighton Meester. I’m intrigued by two “Real Life” pieces — “Secrets of teen millionaires” where you’ll get easy money-making tips from America’s most successful teenage millionaires, and an awareness-raising piece on identity theft. This month’s “Eye Candy?” Sean Faris star of the mixed martial arts flick “Never Back Down.”

And in Teen’s spring issue, the cover girl is…”Gossip Girl’s” Leighton Meester. And all the tween stars — Ashley Tisdale and Miley Cyrus revealing “fashion must-haves,” plus pinup posters of The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Zac Efron — dreamy. There’s also loads of advice on boys, boobs, make-up and hair.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out ELLEgirl Magazine surviving and evidently thriving online. Plus an interesting Mediabistro item on teen mags’ fan stats and apps on Facebook.

here is our first set of links for friday, february 29th.

I’m too sexy for my… (Victoria’s Secret rethinking it’s uber sexy image with the success of Pink and the reality that its bringing new younger customers to the flagship brand) (WSJ)

- Industry gets serious on internet safety (with a task force led by The Berkman Center. Plus gay youth more at-risk of internet exploitation) (PrideSource)

- More on teen girl content creators (from PR Week)

- Bravo ‘quarterlife’! (NBC boots the series over to Bravo. Plus ReelPop on lessons learned) (NewTeeVee)

- Kids big reality TV fans (plus the rest of this week’s Younger Viewers from Media Life Magazine)

- College students slow to adopt cell phone alerts (in the wake of recent shootings. Plus the New York Times, reg. required, on the art and science behind designing handsets) (Textually)

- alpha kitty takes on Juicy Campus (Atoosa’s weekly HuffPost installment from her “video collective”)

- New Obama video (from will.i.am and another band of celebrities. Again, the celebrity stuff really rubs me the wrong way — I’m an Obama supporter but it just feels cringe worthy. Plus if the election happened on MySpace right now…guess who would win?)

- ‘The new face of celeb journalism?’ (EW on a tween paprazzi’s encounter at an Oscar party)