Growing up in a family with an affinity for sports increases the likelihood of participating in club-organised sports. Few studies to date have addressed whether the importance of family sport culture is stable or changes during the teenage years. This article examines the association between family sport culture and participation in club-organised sports during teenage years and whether it differs between boys and girls. We utilise data from Norway and the comprehensive ‘Young in Oslo 2015’ survey (N = 6121; 79% response rate; ages 13–18). Three questions were combined into a measure of family sport culture in the present study: the importance of sport in the family, parents’ training habits, and whether parents would like their children to participate in sports. We observed a clear positive relationship between family sport culture and participation in club-organised sports. Except for a slightly weakened relationship with age among girls, the relationship was equally strong in all age groups. We suggest that the overall continuity in the relevance of family sport culture for young people’s sport participation reflects a prolonged socialisation effect that we utilise Bourdieu’s theory of habitus to understand.

Electronic sports (esports) have evolved into a major cultural phenomenon in the 21st century, mirroring traditional sports with organized, competitive play. This study investigates the prevalence of esports participation and characteristics of esports players among Norwegian adolescents. Using data from the Ungdata survey, a comprehensive web-based survey of Norwegian adolescents that includes questions on demographics, health, physical activity, social relations, and leisure activities such as gaming and esports, we analyzed responses from 70,695 students aged 16–18 years collected during 2021–2023. We conclude that about one out of twenty in the age group of 16–18 years actively engage in esports. The figure conceals significant gender differences: only 0.7% of girls, compared to 8.8% of boys, actively participate in esports. While female esports players differ noticeably from non-players on almost all indicators included in our analyses, the picture among boys reflects more similarities between esports players and other boys, than differences. Among the esports players, females almost consistently reported more negative experiences than males, including less physical socialization, lower self-rated health, higher rates of loneliness and sleeping problems, and a greater difficulty fitting in at school. Despite these negative aspects, esports players maintain close friendships similar to their non-playing peers.

Associations between family income and offspring’s educational attainment are well-established. A debated topic is whether this association is due to the causal influence of family income per se, or arises because of other family-related circumstances which correlate with income. This study examines the relationship between parental income and Norwegian adolescents’ school grades, using register data on all 16-year-old graduates from lower secondary schools during 2002–2011. Data are analysed both by conventional ordinary least square regression and by sibling analyses using fixed effect models. The sibling analyses control not only for observed covariates but also for unobserved time-invariant environmental and family-related characteristics, implying that the causal effects of income may be better approximated. The results indicate that generally, variations in parental income in contemporary Norway have modest effects on lower secondary school grades. However, noteworthy income effects are found among the 5% of families with the lowest incomes, suggesting that in these families, lack of income hinders children’s school performance.

Cannabis was introduced in Norway in the mid-1960s, in the wake of new youth cultures. The prevalence remained at a stable level throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but increased in the 1990s and was then linked to the theory of «normalization». It was claimed that cannabis use spread to «ordinary youth groups». Use of cannabis is once more