As another month rolls around, so does another drop of Youth Updates. This time we are thinking about the cost of living, what award shows say about pop culture, bullying and our continual favourite – the word of the month.
HOT TOPIC: Cost Of Living
You’d have to be hidden away in a remote place to not have heard of, or been affected by, the rising cost of living in the UK. Whilst a lot of the discussions around this (for example, gas bills, inflation, poor pay, striking and rising food costs) have been predominant in adult conversation – it’s certainly trickling down in awareness to our young people.
The BBC released an article saying how there has been a significant up-tick in 16-24 year olds getting jobs as the crisis crunches down, whilst other reports say that 1 in 5 7-16 year olds have experienced a reduction in household finances. Alongside that, 1 in 3 parents/carers have reported struggling with school costs and 1 in 4 secondary students saying they’re worried about affording the tech they need for school.
Whilst rising prices do affect various demographics differently, it’s clear that recent studies suggest under 18s are becoming more aware of the impact of such an economic situation.
Sources:
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64629438
- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1134596/State_of_the_nation_2022_-_children_and_young_people_s_wellbeing.pdf
POP CULTURE: Awards
It’s awards season. And whilst this may be significant for celebrities, these shows are rarely watched by the current generation of young people. However, this doesn’t mean they’re oblivious to what goes on. In fact, many parts of awards shows (the iconic, excellent or controversial ones) inevitably shimmy on over to social media, entering the discourse of our teens. There have been a few notable occasions this has happened so far:
The first is Sam Smith and Kim Petra’s performance at the Grammy’s which received dozens of complaints accusing it of being evil and glorifying satan. The duo (who also won an award for best duo/group performance) performed their song ‘Unholy’ about a man having an affair. The pair, alongside their backing dancers, wete dressed in red, with Sam Smith wearing devil horns. It’s by no means the first time this sort of religious imagery has been used and, undoubtedly, won’t be the last. Furthermore, the stir of this performance comes off the back of underlying conversations around the ‘risque’ nature of Sam Smith’s video for ‘I’m not here to make friends’ and the fact that Sam’s marketing team has recently gone into overdrive on social media, pushing them onto young people’s radars.
Secondly, we have the ever popular ‘man of the moment’ Harry Styles, who has picked up a few accolades. During an acceptance speech Harry garnered some backlash around his comments that ‘this doesn’t happen to people like me’, when in fact many white males have won the award. However, it has since been assumed he was instead talking about his method of reaching fame – from being of no connection to anyone else who is famous, rising up through a normal estate in Manchester and gaining fame via X Factor. Harry may have faced some backlash and risen in the chatter online, but he remains a firm favourite of many young people.
ISSUES: Bullying
Bullying isn’t a new trend – it’s something we have all experienced or witnessed ourselves at some point and is something we are aware that young people are facing regularly. However, it’s interesting to put some numbers to that knowledge. Government reports for the academic year 2021-2022 have shown that around 25% of primary and around 20% of secondary aged children have reported being bullied in those 12 months. Meanwhile those with additional needs and those eligible for free school meals were more likely to experience bullying.
Add to this that 1 in 8 11-16 year olds say they’ve been bullied online and it can’t be denied that bullying is still fairly commonplace in the culture of young people. Those we interact with will likely have been bullied or the bully and it’s helpful for us to guide both ends of the spectrum will love and guidance.
Word Of The Month
‘the ick’
A way of saying something is a bit gross/off-putting to you. Sometimes used to describe people, so in a sentence you might say, ‘we went on a date and they put their bare feet on the table – it gave me the ick’.