Episode Details

From diapers to dating, parenting never stops presenting hard questions. But today’s concern is different: Gen Z teens are experiencing a full-blown collapse in social connection. Dating is down. Friend time is down. Jobs are down. According to Monitoring the Future, the percentage of antisocial high school seniors quintupled from 3.5% in 1995 to nearly 16% in 2022. But here’s the twist: the one group that remained more socially engaged? Teens who attend church monthly. In today’s episode, Ryan, Thom, and Sam unpack the surprising role of religion in keeping kids socially healthy—and what churches can do to help.

1. 1. Regular church attendance gives teens built-in opportunities for face-to-face connection.
   2. Youth groups and church events can fill the relational gaps left by declining extracurriculars and jobs.
   3. Churchgoing teens are less likely to be socially isolated across multiple categories.
   4. Don’t over-program—create organic spaces where teens can talk, laugh, and serve together.
   5. Equip parents with language and tools to balance screen time and real time.
   6. View your youth ministry as a key contributor to emotional and social development, not just spiritual growth.

Resources:

• Rooted

• Upward Sports

• Upward Sports: Pickleball

• “High School Students Are Growing Incredibly Anti-Social” by Ryan Burge

• Ryan Burge

• “The Anxious Generation Goes to Church” by Thom S. Rainer (affiliate link)

• “The American Religious Landscape” by Ryan Burge (affiliate link)

• Church Answers Platinum Membership

• FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights

• The Hope Initiative

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