Confused at some new lingo or reference from your student? Let the Culture Translator help you out! With trends shifting on a weekly basis, it is impossibly to keep up on your own!

This week: 2016 Nostalgia, Mental Health Improvements, and Voice Memos

In the average home, we find a lot of tools to keep those homes safe. We install alarm systems, multiple locks, and cameras in hopes to protect the ones we love. However, are we making our homes safe for our kids to face doubts and fears and ask hard questions? In other words, are you making your home a safe place for hard conversations?

It’s the dawn of a new year—but also, a new technological era. In 2025, AI crossed a critical threshold, moving beyond novelty and becoming nearly inescapable. This past year, adults began to see what many young people have understood their whole lives: these technologies will likely be the defining issue of our time.

The year 2025 shed light on how streaming, music, and social media trends will be shaped by generative AI. The influencer economy weakened. The cost of living went up, while it became harder to get an entry-level job. Sports betting skyrocketed. Mental health diagnoses rose. TikTok was banned—and then it wasn’t. The Dodgers, powered by a player who can pitch as well as he hits, took a second World Series. Oh, and people still talked about Taylor Swift and Sydney Sweeney—a lot.

Parents, here are some after school conversation starters you can use to engage with your kids!