What’s On the Brains of Teens (And Parents)

Posted on 03. Nov, 2013 by Rebeldad in stats

I’ve been thinking through the topical mix of the new rebeldad.com, and my biggest worry is that my default will be to write about things that are interest to me (technology! youth sports!), and might not really represent the broader conversation about parenting teens. So as a grounding exercise, I went to the people who constantly monitor the zeitgeist: Google.

Using their Keyword Planner, I checked the search terms associated with “teens.” This is as close as we come to truth in this era: what we plug into search engines tends to show what’s really on our minds.

And what’s on the minds of people typing “teens” into Google? The list is below, but — holy moly — bullying is the big one. By a long shot. But depression makes the list, too. So does pregnancy. (Teen bedding is apparently a big area of concern, too. Not sure what to make of that.)

That doesn’t mean that Rebeldad will be all bullying, all the time. But I do plan to keep an eye on Google to make sure that I’m not off in my own little world. And, of course, I’ll be curious what’s eating you, too. So if there’s a topic seems to be ignored, just shout.