Barna Research looks at an innovative topic
When it comes to needing advice, who do teenagers approach?
When teens have questions about who they are, they turn first to their mom (84%) and dad (78%), well ahead of every other source Barna measured.
Faith-Activated teens show an unusually open posture toward guidance, ranking Jesus (78%) and the Bible (78%) nearly on par with their parents.
AI ranks near the bottom of the list for teens overall, but Faith-Activated teens are nearly twice as likely as their peers to trust it, and some would rather ask AI a question than a person.
Barna’s researchers point to a practical implication in the data: parents remain the most trusted voice in a teen’s life by a wide margin, and the youth ministries best positioned to shape the next generation may be the ones that equip parents to keep discipling their teens at home, rather than treating that influence as competition.
“Students are listening more than it seems,” says youth ministry leader, Deborah Spooner. “Students show at youth group how much they love their parents in ways their parents never see or hear.”
The data on who teens trust doesn’t point to a single source. Teens consult many voices, but family still comes first. For youth leaders, that makes parents the place to start.