Six Areas of Concern

1. Education - Boys enter school behind girls and rarely close the gap, struggling with reading, discipline, and engagement throughout their school years. 

2. Family Life - 1 in 5 children grow up without a father figure, and boys feel this absence most acutely, often entering adulthood without a male role model to look up to. 

3. Health - Boys face a growing mental health crisis, with suicide rates nearly three and a half times higher than girls, alongside rising rates of obesity and eating disorders. 

4. Technology - Early exposure to pornography, gaming addiction, and social media algorithms pushing violent content are reshaping boyhood in ways previous generations never faced. 

5. Crime - 96% of the prison population in England and Wales is male, and boys are disproportionately both perpetrators and victims of violent crime. 

6. Employment - For the first time in modern history, young men are less likely than young women to be engaged in education, employment, or training. 

A Crisis of Identity

Beyond the statistics, the report points to something harder to measure: a crisis of identity and purpose among young men. More than three quarters of people say teenage boys lack proper role models in popular culture, and half of young men aged 18 to 24 feel the media portrays men as "a bit pathetic." Boys are growing up in a world that seems uncertain about what healthy masculinity looks like, and many are turning to harmful online voices to fill that void.

What Drives Bible Engagement

The research identifies three conditions that consistently support deeper and more sustained Bible engagement among teens. When these conditions are present, teens are far more likely to read the Bible regularly and see it as meaningful to their lives:

• Relevance: Scripture connects to real teen experiences through accessible language and topics.

• Support: Young people receive guidance in how to understand and apply what they read.

• Community: Engagement takes place in relational settings where faith is modeled and encouraged.

These principles form the foundation of Reach4Life, a discipleship program built around a contemporary New Testament and forty structured lessons addressing issues like identity, relationships, sexuality, and decision-making in peer-based groups.

Evidence of Real Change

An evaluation comparing Reach4Life participants with a control group of similar teens shows significant differences. Teens who participated were more likely to engage the Bible consistently, believe it is relevant, and feel confident applying it. They also reported stronger faith commitment, greater openness to sharing their faith, and increased interest in leading others.

Beyond spiritual habits, the study found shifts in wellbeing and life expectations. Participants reported higher levels of hope, greater confidence in achieving personal goals, and lower expectations that they would experience outcomes such as early pregnancy or gang involvement. These results suggest that when Scripture engagement is supported well, it can influence both faith and life direction.

Insights from Gaming on the Lost Boys

On the topic of gaming, the report calls out two current ills that boys are more likely to experience. First, the report notes that boys are more likely to play console games or handheld games, some of which feature graphically violent content. While the results are mixed as to whether violent video games can lead boys to real-life aggression, the study notes that there is some evidence that it can drive online aggression.

Second, the study delves into gaming addiction. It found that 90% of the individuals receiving help from the National Centre for Gaming Disorder were male and that the average age of referral was 18. Individuals also showed aggression when asked to stop gaming and experienced significant weight loss or gain.

Youth Pastors Weigh in on Gaming

Youth pastors displayed a high degree of nuance in approaching this topic. They recognize that video games, as a vehicle for stories, have good potential to share the Gospel with youth. And many are fluent in the world of videogames that their students frequent, with 42% saying they had talked about characters from stories or video games as part of a sermon or discussion. 

However, youth pastors acknowledged that video games are one of many ways teens and adults can become too absorbed in the digital world. Nearly half (47%) said that their biggest concern with using videogames in ministry was that they didn’t want to encourage more device usage.

Gaming is a defining feature of young people's lives. Our Gen Alpha research found that 90% of US Gen Alpha game daily, for an average of 1 hour 38 minutes. If youth pastors engage thoughtfully with gaming culture, recognizing its risks while using its storytelling power, they may find a meaningful way to connect with young people who already spend much of their time there.

Review the full report here.

The Gender Gap in Teen Experiences (March 2025)

A Pew survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 finds that while boys and girls share many future goals, they face different pressures and school environments. Girls are more likely than boys to report certain social pressures and to plan for college, while boys are more likely to feel pressure related to physical strength or athletics. Many teens also perceive gender differences in classroom dynamics and emotional support.

Top Findings:

• 68% of teens feel pressure to get good grades, with girls slightly more likely than boys (71% vs. 65%).

• 60% of girls plan to attend a four-year college vs. 46% of boys.

• 42% say girls get better grades at their school, while only 3% say boys do.

• 58% of teens say girls have it easier than boys when it comes to having friends they can turn to for support.

Teens, Social Media and Mental Health (April 2025)

Many U.S. teens say social media helps them connect with others, but a growing number also believe it has a mostly negative effect on their peers’ mental health. Parents are more concerned than teens about mental health and are more likely to blame social media. Young people  point to a wider range of factors, including social pressures and bullying, in addition to digital platforms.

Top Findings:

• 48% of teens say social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age (up from 32% in 2022).

• Only 14% say social media negatively affects them personally.

• 45% report spending too much time on social media, up from 36% in 2022.

• More teen girls than boys say social media harms their mental health (25% vs. 14%), confidence (20% vs. 10%) and sleep (50% vs. 40%).

Young Adults and the Future of News (December 2025)

Young adults (ages 18 to 29) follow the news less closely than older Americans and often come across it by chance rather than seeking it out. They are also much more likely to get news from social media and to trust information they see there, sometimes as much as they trust national news organizations. This points to a major shift in how younger generations engage with news.

Top Findings:

• Only about 15% of young adults (18-29) say they follow the news all or most of the time - far lower than older age groups.

• 70% say they mostly get political news because they come across it, rather than actively seeking it out.

• 76% of adults under 30 get news from social media at least sometimes, much higher than older groups (e.g., 28% for those 65+).

• Young adults trust information from social media about as much as they trust national news outlets.