The Plugged-In Parent Almanac 2023: The Guide to Popular Culture for Parents of Tweens and Teens

Updated for 2023!

Teens wish their parents knew:

“You can’t pause online games”; “TikTok”; “that not every song is about sex and drugs”; “K-pop”; and “that it is different from when they were teenagers!”

The Plugged-In Parent Almanac is the one volume parents need to better understand the pop culture that consumes tweens’ and teens’ attention in 2023.

Pop culture makers both feed teens’ need for discovery and independence as well as transform that need into massive commercial opportunities. Ever since Elvis and the Beatles (...and as far back as Sherlock Holmes), what young people like, and why young people like it, has been a source of friction between the generations.

In today’s increasingly fractured pop culture landscape, there is an even larger generational divide. Parents don’t get the chance to express admiration or dismay about the newest celebrity. Rather, parents are frequently just clueless—left mystified or out of the loop all together.

The Plugged-In Parent Almanac—full of information about popular entertainment genres, from music, movies and series, and books to social media and fashion, as well as the top performers and influencers—will help parents better connect with their tweens and teens this year.

And to help parents make sense of it all, The Plugged-In Parent Almanac features expert essays, including “How Does Something Become Popular,” “Talking about Media Use,” “What to Watch on TV with Your Teen,” “A Teenager’s Guide to Sneaker Culture,” and “A Parent’s Guide to Fan Fiction.”

The Plugged-In Parent Almanac has been completely updated pop-culture and trend lists for 2023! And a 12-week summer challenge to spark fun and passion as a family. The Plugged-In Parent Almanac also includes an inventory of the costs of raising a teenager.

Published by Parent Ready!, The Plugged-In Parent Almanac 2023 is edited by Anja Schmidt, who has been an editor in the book and magazine publishing industries for more than 20 years. She is currently Executive Editor of Parent Ready! and Executive Managing Editor for FEEL FREE magazine. Anja is also a parent of 3 teens and pre-teens.

Expert contributors to The Plugged-In Parent Almanac include Eric Deggans, National Public Radio’s TV critic; Drs. Carrie James and Emily Weinstein of the Harvard Graduate School of Education; Cannes Lion winner Nick Braccia; and University of Southern California Professor Henry Jenkins.

The Plugged-In Parent Almanac is published by Parent Ready! inspires, prepares, and supports parents through the uncertainty of raising teens. The Plugged-In Parent Parent Almanac is one of a series of guides Parent Ready! publishes to help parents navigate the milestones, challenges and passions of their kids. More information at https://parentready.com

Anja Schmidt has been an editor in the book and magazine publishing industries for more than 20 years. She is currently Executive Editor at Parent Ready and Executive Managing Editor for FEEL FREE magazine.