As usual, January will represent the declaration of many New Year's resolutions. And while millions of people will be signing up for gym memberships or taking up a new hobby, there are certain stones that brands, particularly those trying to appeal to teens, should be turning over as well. As has been highlighted before, teenagers are one of the most unpredictable demographics when it comes to consumer behavior. However, based on trends observed over the latter half of 2013, there are certain changes teenage-centric brands should be making, if they haven't already.

If you're a teen marketer, no doubt you've noticed that most teens seem to have their eyes glued to a phone, gaming system, or other device nearly every free minute of the day. The habit has lead to a new stereotype - the teen that isn't social with anyone he or she is around, preferring to hide behind the barrier of a screen when interacting with others. The stereotype has become so prevalent that teens and other Millennials, ironically, feel left out if they're not on their phones.

We just completed the search for our agency's winter/spring intern ... always a fun process, and we love meeting our industry's incoming talent. As we reviewed the pile of resumes, my business partner casually mentioned that he looked up the top candidates online to see if there were any red flags. He did a quick Google and Facebook search, among others, and spotted some provocative photos of one of our top choices. Hmm ... we are a dynamic, young, pretty liberal, creative agency, so does that really matter to us? Well, yeah, unfortunately I guess it kind of does. One …

In "Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World," author Rosalind Wiseman aims to show what really happens in the life of a teenage boy today. As Wiseman revealed in a recent "Time" magazine article, the landscape for boys is more complex than ever. Both technological and societal changes are conspiring to make it even more complicated.