Jonathan McKee, Author at Jonathan's Blog From The Source

STDs at an all time high… again

Posted on: 10/5/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Last week it was all over the news, STDs at an all time high.

Again!

Yes… it was last November that the CDC first posted a press release revealing “STDs are at an unprecedented high.” (My post about this, and my theories as to why) Well… apparently the trend is only getting worse.

The timing is uncanny. Last Tuesday the CDC announced “the highest number of these sexually transmitted diseases ever reported,” literally 9 days after the Washington Post featured a story reprinted by newspapers globally about how teenagers weren’t drinking or driving or having sex, rather, they were… and I quote… “sticking to G-rated activities such as rock climbing or talking about books.” Continue reading “STDs at an all time high… again”

Posted in Jonathan's Rant, News, Sexuality, Youth Culture | Tags: CDC, sexual activity, sexually active teens, std, stds unprecedented high, teens and sexuality | Leave A Comment

New sexually explicit cartoon on Netflix

Posted on: 09/28/17 10:56 AM | by Jonathan McKee

The show is called Big Mouth, and it’s premiering on Netflix this weekend. It’s a cartoon about teenagers whose lives have been upended by the wonders and horrors of puberty.

For those who think today’s young people aren’t exposed to sexual messages and imagery… think again.

Take a peek at the trailer here: (and WARNING: This YouTube trailer is very sexually explicit and contains foul language… and yeah… it’s available on your kid’s phone.) Continue reading “New sexually explicit cartoon on Netflix”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, TV | Tags: Big Mouth, media discernment, Netflix, parenting, sexually explicit imagery | Leave A Comment

Is Snapchat and Snapmaps safe?

Posted on: 09/26/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s the number one app kids use, and it’s the number one app parents ask me about at my parent workshops. I hear it all the time:

Is Snapchat bad?

Should I let my daughter use Snapchat?

Or more recently…

Is SnapMaps dangerous? Should I advise my daughter to go “Ghostmode”?

It’s something I’ve written articles about in detail, and something I always devote time to when I’m addressing students directly about wise posting in an insecure world. So what do Mom and Dad need to know about this app, especially with its fun new feature called “SnapMaps” where your Snap friends can see your exact locations on a map at all times? Continue reading “Is Snapchat and Snapmaps safe?”

Posted in Internet, Parenting, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture | Tags: parenting, Snapchat, snapmaps, teenagers | Leave A Comment

Coming to a city near you

Posted on: 09/21/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Fall is always pretty busy with speaking, youth leader trainings and parent workshops. Take a peek at my upcoming schedule and see if I’m coming to a city near you:

THIS WEEKEND- Sept 23, 24, New Hope Assembly Church, Rogers, AR
Parenting workshop, preaching in morning services

October 15, Steel City Mennonite Brethren Church, Bethleham, PA
Preaching in morning services, Parenting workshop 6-8 PM

Continue reading “Coming to a city near you”

Posted in Speaking/Training, Travel | Tags: Focus on the Family, Jonathan McKee, parenting workshops, speaking, training youth leaders | Leave A Comment

The words I’ve been waiting for…

Posted on: 09/18/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“In stock”

I’ve had sooooooooo many parents asking me about this book for their teens/tweens… it’s so good to see it finally “in stock” ( over two weeks early). I received boxes of them Friday, and Amazon began shipping them Saturday.

Enjoy the book! Here’s what those who screened the book for me said about it:

“McKee’s best yet. This book will most definitely be the new ‘phone contract’ today’s parents use to engage their kids in meaningful conversation about their use of technology. Required reading for any teenager.”
—Doug Fields, Author of Speaking to Teenagers and 7 Ways to Be Her Hero Continue reading “The words I’ve been waiting for…”

Posted in Books, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media | Tags: parenting, smartphones, Snapchat, social media, teenagers, The Teens Guide to Social Media and Moblile Devices, wise posting | Leave A Comment

Stalking Your Daughter

Posted on: 09/12/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Yesterday I told my friend Brian, “I hope you don’t mind, I stalked your daughter last week on her Instagram account to see if she was posting anything dangerous.”

Sound creepy? I guess it is. Good thing it was just me.

Brian knows I research this stuff all the time, and my new book helping teenagers “think before you post” is coming out next week (kinda cool, the publisher just told me the books are in and have already shipped to my website and Amazon). So last week his daughter was my guinea pig.

The good news: so far she was being really wise with her Continue reading “Stalking Your Daughter”

Posted in Parenting, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture | Tags: kids, location services, online safety, pedophile, privacy settings, smartphone, Snapchat, snapmaps, social media, stalker, teenagers | Leave A Comment

Is Abstinence-Only Education Really Ineffective?

Posted on: 09/6/17 11:55 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Many of you might have seen or read about a report in the September issue of Journal of Adolescent Health where researchers asserted abstinence-only education is “scientifically and ethically flawed.”

So let me ask a taboo question in the Christian community:

Are they right? Is there any legitimacy to this claim?

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen people bashing abstinence programs. Back in 2004 a report prepared for House Democrats shredded abstinence programs, citing “errors and distortions” in eleven of thirteen abstinence-only curricula. (Which is interesting to look at in hindsight—a report that cited STDs going down—now that we all remember 2008 reports emerged citing 1 in 4 teens girls have an STD, and now recent reports revealing Continue reading “Is Abstinence-Only Education Really Ineffective?”

Posted in Sexuality, Youth Culture | Tags: abstinence-only, CDC, rise in STDs, sex, sex education, std prevention, stds, teen sexual activity, teens | Leave A Comment

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?”

Posted in Discussion Ideas, Entertainment Media, Jonathan's Rant, Music, Parenting, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Youth Culture | Tags: billboard hot 100, music, music charts, parenting, parenting teenagers, pop music, sexually explicit lyrics, sexy songs, smartphone monitoring, top songs | Leave A Comment

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”

Posted in Discussion Ideas, Parenting, Youth Ministry Philosophy | Tags: back to school, conersations, dialogue, get your teenager talking, parenting, teenagers | Leave A Comment

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”

Posted in Books, Contests, Smartphones/Cell Phones | Tags: contest winners, discicipleship guide, parenting smartphone kids, social media, The Teens Guide to Social Media and Moblile Devices, wise posting | Leave A Comment