Only 67% of High School Seniors Say They Definitely Want to Marry Someday
What? According to a study by Pew Research Center, only 67% of seniors in high school say they absolutely want to get married someday, down from 80% in 1993.
So What? The biggest drop was among teen girls. Just 61% said they want to get married, down from 83% in ’93. (The change among teen boys from nominal: 74%, down from 76%.) And sadly, only 51% of all teens surveyed thought it was “very likely” they’d stay married to the same person their whole life.
Now What? The reason for this drop-off—or, more likely, reasons—was not explored in this study. But it might be worth talking about with your own high schoolers, especially as they enter adulthood and head off to college. Does your child want to get married? Why or why not? Do they think they’ll stay married if/when they take that leap? What do they think marriage entails? What does the Bible say about marriage?
Mogging Isn’t Bad, Until It Is
What? “Mogging,” as defined by Merriam-Webster, means “to move away,” “to depart,” “to walk slowly and steadily” or “to jog.” However, in the world of internet and teen slang, it also means “to outclass.”
So What? That slang definition originated in gym culture (according to Parents), but it has spread across multiple online platforms—including the “manosphere, an online community that often [spreads] misogynistic ideas”—since the early 2000s. And while most teens are probably using the terms in a joking, teasing way, it can take on heavier meanings.
Now What? If your kid is using “mog” derogatorily—that is, if they’re showing off or trying to dominate over someone—then it’s probably worth a lengthier conversation. It’s also worth noting that the term is comparable to “maxxing,” wherein teens trying to maximize their looks, hair, muscles, etc. in order to boost their popularity.
Character.AI Introduces ‘Stories’ for Minors
What? On Tuesday, Character.AI—known for its highly customizable AI chatbots—blocked its chatbot features for minors in response to increasing allegations that these virtual characters have adversely affected teen mental health. According to The Verge, “Character.AI is currently facing a lawsuit that accuses the AI platform of contributing to a teenager’s death by suicide.”
So What? As an alternative, Character.AI has introduced“Stories,” which it describes as a “safety-first setting,” allowing kids and teens to engage in “guided narratives” with its AI characters (essentially choose-your-own-adventure stories). Amanda Silberling writes for TechCrunch that Stories are “less psychologically dubious than roleplaying with chatbots.”
Now What? Experts warn that Stories could still have a negative impact on teen mental health, so parents should still exercise caution. Teen users commenting on a Character.AI subreddit were largely disappointed by the change but understood its necessity. And many are hopeful that Stories will be less addicting than the company’s interactive AI chatbots.
6 Responses
“The reason for this drop-off—or, more likely, reasons—was not explored in this study.”
Technically true, but given that the boys’ share had stayed pretty much steady between the 1993 surveys (76% in 1993, 74% in 2023) and the girls’ share had dropped significantly (83% in 1993, 61% in 2023), it wouldn’t surprise me if one big factor was girls fearing for their physical and emotional safety because of how a lot of boys (and men) act. The top-grossing movie worldwide in 2023 most definitely spoke to this.
It’s sad that women are now less interested in getting married than men are. The study you referred to should have gone deeper and attempted to determine why.
But here’s one possible explanation. Too many people get fixated on Ephesians 5:22, which reads (in the King James Bible version) “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” Those same people often ignore Ephesians 5:25, which reads “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” and Ephesians 5:28, which reads “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”
If enough people took the time to read the fifth chapter of Ephesians in its entirety, they would understand that marriage is not all give on the wife’s side and all take on the husband’s side, but a two-way street, which is what any good relationship between two people should be.
Also if the world listened to the Bibles truth and not just what the world tells them they would realize that marriage is a beautiful covenant between a man and women only and not something to be taken lightly. It is to be treasured, valued, reverered and in a way that honors God. No lgb agenda, no listening to what the world thinks is right, but what GOD says is right. He wants us to live like him and show His truth, which means waiting for the spouse God designed for us. Not what we think is right or what we think we’re supposed to do. We are God’s creation, created in HIS IMAGE. Not some other non descripit lgb or whatever alphabet soup they want to call it today. Maybe if the world followed God instead of their own lusts and agenda then they would realize marriage as seen in the God way God sees it is a beautiful thing
We don’t have a right to force any of that onto the rest of society, though, and the permissibility (whether religious or secular) of same-sex marriage has nothing to do with the gap in whether and why girls and boys want to get married.
Men live longer lives married to women (statistically) while women live shorter lives.
I live with my friend and help her raise her kid. We split the housework quite equally and both work part time. I’ve never been happier. I can’t see me wanting to move in with my boyfriend. he is a slob and I don’t want to burnout cleaning up after him.
Wishing you the best! Condolences that your boyfriend won’t do housework — I’ve known too many men who weren’t taught and a few who outright believed it wasn’t their job