Does Sexy Music Really Affect Me?

Posted on: 08/30/17 1:30 PM | by Jonathan McKee

I guess it’s a good time to ask this question when the No. 1 song on the charts articulates, “I want to show my mouth your favorite places, let me trespass your danger zones until I make you scream.”

Whenever I speak to parents I tend to provide them with a glimpse into the world of youth culture: the apps young people frequent (on their smartphones at an average of 2 hours and 38 minutes a day), the games they’re playing (teen boys play an average of 56 minutes per day), and the music they’re soaking in (at an average of 1 hour and 54 minutes per day) (Media Use by Tweens and Teens, page 19 and 31). Sometime I even play YouTube videos or paste lyrics of the top dozen songs right on the screen for parents to see firsthand. The reaction is always the same:

“I didn’t know it was this bad!”

Well, I’ve been doing this two decades now… and I’ve never seen the top 12 songs this bad Continue reading “Does Sexy Music Really Affect Me?”

Back to School Conversations

Posted on: 08/23/17 3:03 PM | by Jonathan McKee

If your kids aren’t already back to school, they’re headed there. Sure that means new classes, homework, and all that goes along with the academic aspects of school… but that also means navigating new and old friendships, trying to fit in, and wondering if everyone likes you, not just at school, but also on every app with a like button.

This is where you come in. The typical response from caring adults like parents, grandparents, coaches and youth pastors is to ask about school Continue reading “Back to School Conversations”

Your worries about teens and mobile devices

Posted on: 08/21/17 4:30 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Some GREAT feedback from you all in my last post as you shared your concerns about today’s teens and their mobile devices. I’ve just posted the 5 contest winners below (in this post) who each will win a free “advanced reader” copy of my upcoming book, The Teens Guide to Social Media and Mobile Devices.

For those of you who didn’t win… and want a copy. Some great options right now. Amazon has it for pre-sale today for almost 50% off… just $7 and change Continue reading “Your worries about teens and mobile devices”

What is your biggest concern with young people and mobile devices?

Posted on: 08/16/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Let’s have a little CONTEST!

I have 5 “Advanced Reader’s Copies” of my upcoming The Teens Guide to Social Media and Mobile Devices sitting right here on my desk… and I want to give them away. (I don’t know if you saw… for some reason Amazon is offering these right now as a pre-order for just $7 and change! Grab that price while you have the chance. Wow.)

Simple: post a comment in this blog post answering this question Continue reading “What is your biggest concern with young people and mobile devices?”

building into young people during their gap year

Posted on: 08/9/17 9:32 PM | by Jonathan McKee

What do Chick-Fil-A, rapper Trip Lee and Sean McDowell have in common?

All three captivated my attention last weekend… and I think you’ll find ‘why’ fascinating.

Let me back up. For the last decade the youth ministry world has been wrestling with a tough question—one that parents are asking just the same:

Why are so many kids walking away from their faith during/after high school?

Continue reading “building into young people during their gap year”

Talking with teens AND parents about social media

Posted on: 08/2/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

How can we get teens AND parents to engage in conversation about the devices that are dominating most of their waking hours? (yeah… even parents)

I’ve been teaching parent workshops for about 15 years now, and speaking to teens about 20. But I’ve never done a workshop with them in the same room… until now! This is a subject that needs to be addressed to families, together… in the same room.

This fall when my new book (The Teens Guide to Social Media and Mobile Devices) hits the shelves I’ll be launching my “WISE POSTING IN AN INSECURE WORLD” family workshop. In this two hour workshop I’ll address Mom’s, Dads and kids about something we all struggle with– wisely navigating the digital world. Much like the book, I’ll be asking Continue reading “Talking with teens AND parents about social media”