Final answer:
The question pertains to secularization trends among adolescents in the United States, where there is a significant increase in those with no religious affiliation and a rise in individuals identifying as spiritual but not religious.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question addresses the trend of secularization and its impact on religious involvement among adolescents in the United States. As the United States modernizes, there is a noticeable rise in individuals identifying as having no religious affiliation, with the Pew Research Center reporting an increase from 17 percent in 2009 to 26 percent in 2019. Moreover, there's a notable presence of individuals who consider themselves spiritual but not religious, participating in spiritual activities outside conventional religious institutions.
Historical sociologists like Émile Durkheim and Max Weber predicted this trend, suggesting that as society modernizes, alternatives to traditional religious practices and communities would emerge, such as membership in social clubs or engagement in personal spiritual practices. This shift is also seen in the prevalence of U.S. megachurches that focus heavily on youth activities and community services, utilizing modern technology to reach wider audiences, often diverging from traditional religious institutions in their methods and approaches.