"Our oldest is a 14 year old boy so we're still newbies to parenting teens. Our 8th grader teen seems, in mom and dad's opinion, overly concerned with materialism (things like shoes and iphone model etc). We've heard that this is pretty typical for middle school boys; do teen boys tend to become less materialistic after middle school/once they're in high school? We try to talk with him about materialism not being a healthy priority but it doesn't seem to be sinking in yet." - Sarah

Scientific Paper --> Growing up in a Material World: Age Differences in Materialism

Scientific Paper --> Effects of Materialism on Adolescents'

Book Reference --> The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Dr. Lisa Damour

Axis Resource --> A Parent's Guide to Teen Identity

This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org.

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Three Big Conversations:

1. TikTok's most-used sound in 2025 was a 63-year-old love song - 8:40
2. Netflix and Paramount are in a bidding war for Warner Bros. - 22:38
3. Hollywood might be having a "God moment." - 35:52

Song of the Week: "Santa Tell Me" - by Ariana Grande - 1:02

Click here for the lyrics.

In Other News: - 52:20

Taylor Swift will officially conclude her Eras era today, releasing a six-episode docuseries about her record-setting tour as well as "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show," both streaming on Disney+. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York took several big steps toward resolving 1,300 sex abuse claims against clergy. Australia's blanket ban of social media for all users under 16 took effect on Wednesday. Pop-folk artist Noah Kahan is dropping hints about his next album, and considering the popularity of his 2022 release Stick Season, it could be one of the biggest releases of 2026. Pantone named "Cloud Dancer"—a shade of natural white—as its color for 2026, stating that the shade represents "a calming influence in a frenetic society."

Double your impact with End of Year Giving! Every dollar you give will be mathched dollar for dollar until the end of 2025!

Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org.

For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

TikTok's most-used sound in 2025 was a 63-year-old love song, Netflix and Paramount are in a bidding war for Warner Bros., and Hollywood might be having a "God moment."

Song of the Week: "Santa Tell Me" - by Ariana Grande

Click here for the lyrics.

In Other News:

Taylor Swift will officially conclude her Eras era today, releasing a six-episode docuseries about her record-setting tour as well as "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show," both streaming on Disney+. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York took several big steps toward resolving 1,300 sex abuse claims against clergy. Australia's blanket ban of social media for all users under 16 took effect on Wednesday. Pop-folk artist Noah Kahan is dropping hints about his next album, and considering the popularity of his 2022 release Stick Season, it could be one of the biggest releases of 2026. Pantone named "Cloud Dancer"—a shade of natural white—as its color for 2026, stating that the shade represents "a calming influence in a frenetic society."

Double your impact with End of Year Giving! Every dollar you give will be mathched dollar for dollar until the end of 2025!

Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org.

For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.