Entertainment Media Archives - Jonathan's Blog From The Source

Movies minus the language, violence, etc.

Posted on: 05/4/20 2:13 PM | by Jonathan McKee

If you’re a parent and you like movies, then you might find it difficult to find some “family friendly” movies or shows that are actually appropriate for your kids.

Take Neflix’s Stranger Things for example. Really fun show, creative, well written… but if your kids are 6, 8 and 10, the language and frightening scenes might be a little much.

Or let’s say you nostalgically remember watching Goonies as a teen, so you rent it and stream it on Continue reading “Movies minus the language, violence, etc.”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Movies, Parenting, TV | Tags: censored films, family friendly, Family Play | Leave A Comment

Our Top Kid-friendly Video Games of 2019

Posted on: 12/12/19 10:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Great guest post by our TheSource4Parents.com video game reviewer, Naomi Norbez!

2019 has been quite a year, especially for video games. From new indie titles to massive triple-A series, it’s been a blast looking at all the latest releases.

But of all those games, which ones are the best for your kids? Here’s a list of the top games I recommend, out of all the ones I looked at in 2019. These are the ones your young one can play, with no worries for you as a parent Continue reading “Our Top Kid-friendly Video Games of 2019”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Parenting | Tags: kid friendly, switch, top video games | Leave A Comment

A fun new podcast

Posted on: 12/3/19 3:31 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Disney Princesses, Hallmark films, giving your kids screens…. these are all topics we’re talking about in a new podcast I’m a part of.

The podcast is called The Plugged In Show, and Focus’ Plugged In team of writers has invited me to join in with them to discuss movies, music, TV and the entertainment young people love.

Being completely honest… I love these guys! (And I used the term “guys” loosely, because one of them is a girl!) They are really fun. Most of them are movie buffs like me, so we really have a fun time getting together and talking about movies, music, Netflix… Continue reading “A fun new podcast”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Movies, Music, Parenting, TV | Tags: movies, Plugged In, Podcast, tv | Leave A Comment

How well do you know young people’s media habits?

Posted on: 11/10/19 2:17 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Take Jonathan’s Quick 8-Question
TWEENS, TEENS & SCREENS QUIZ

How many hours a day does the average teen (13- to 18-year-olds) spend soaking in entertainment screen time?

Are tweens (8- to 12-year-olds) any different?

What entertainment activity do they enjoy the most?

Let’s test your knowledge!

After all, the newest numbers have just been tallied by Common Sense Media’s brand-new report tracking media use by tweens and teens…and this is the biggest and most widely cited report of its kind. For the last four years Continue reading “How well do you know young people’s media habits?”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, TV | Tags: common sense media, Media Use, screen time, smartphones, teens, Tweens | Leave A Comment

A Netflix Show Youth Workers and Parents Might Want to Watch

Posted on: 10/7/19 5:52 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Every once in a while a movie or TV show comes along that actually “gets” young people today or provides a glimpse at “how to reach them.”

Well, Netflix just released a series titled, Unbelievable, that literally took my breath away, on several levels.

First, I’m writing a book on social media right now and happen to be waist deep in research about predators (which sadly sometimes turns into sexual assault, rape, sex slavery, etc.). And this series is about rape victims.

Secondly, this series provides a picture-perfect example of how not to treat people who are victims of abuse, bullying, rape, etc. I mean perfectly! As in, I would actually make my youth ministry volunteers watch episode one and then episode two of this series, and then we’d all meet together and compare the two polar opposite ways we could treat those who are abused, assaulted, etc. and discuss what this looks like in the youth ministry world. Continue reading “A Netflix Show Youth Workers and Parents Might Want to Watch”

Posted in Discussion Ideas, Entertainment Media, Movies, Parenting, Sexuality, TV, Youth Culture | Tags: counseling teenagers, Netflix Unbelievable, rape, sexual assault | Leave A Comment

Not so “super” heroes

Posted on: 09/17/19 4:13 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Mom, can I watch ‘The Boys’ on Amazon Prime?

What’s it about?

Superheroes.

Sure. Why not?

I guess that’s a good question. “Why not?”

Helping our kids learn to make good entertainment decisions isn’t easy (just like helping our kids escape porn isn’t easy). And with all the easy access to raunchy entertainment today, parenting has become a little more complex.

Some might call it unrealistic to wish that superheroes were always good guys. Today’s demand for authentic entertainment calls for more “real” or “gritty” characters… i.e. superheroes who are rapists, peeping toms, liars, murderers, hypocrites, drug addicts…and that’s exactly what you get with almost every hero in The Boys. Because that’s “real”, right?

Let’s just say that The Boys, based off the graphic novel/comic book series of the same name, provides Continue reading “Not so “super” heroes”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Parenting, TV | Tags: Amazon Prime Video, teaching discernment, The Boys | Leave A Comment

What Parents Need to Know about Zendaya and Euphoria

Posted on: 08/6/19 7:52 PM | by Jonathan McKee

What do you get when a former Disney star feels the need to break free from innocent roles?

No, I’m not talking about Miley, or Selena…I’m talking about the 2019 Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards “Favorite Female TV Star,” Zendaya, who many of you might know as ‘MJ’ in the most recent Spiderman: Far from Home…and let’s just say her most recent HBO show Euphoria is a little far from home.

Exactly how far does this TV-MA series stray?

The plot “keywords” might give you an idea Continue reading “What Parents Need to Know about Zendaya and Euphoria”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Parenting, Sexuality, TV | Tags: Euphoria, HBO | Leave A Comment

Ted Bundy’s take on porn

Posted on: 05/23/19 10:16 AM | by Jonathan McKee

In the last two weeks I watched the Netflix documentary about serial killer Ted Bundy. . .fascinating and truly frightening.

As I was watching it I wondered if they’d mention the Dr. James Dobson interview because Dobson was actually the last person to interview Bundy before his execution. Sure enough… they offered a little blip at the end of the documentary.

Bundy was very open about the influence pornography had in his life Continue reading “Ted Bundy’s take on porn”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Sexuality | Tags: Dr. James Dobson, Porn, Ted Bundy, violence against women | Leave A Comment

Kids spending real money on virtual goods

Posted on: 04/8/19 4:11 PM | by Jonathan McKee

“Mom, can I have $20?”

“Why? Do you want to go hang out with your friends?”

“Actually, I want to buy the ‘Cuddle Team Leader’ outfit for my character in Fortnite!”

Sound bizarre? Welcome to the monetary world of digital natives. And our TheSource4Parents.com game reviewer Naomi Norbez gives us a nice peek into the world of game-purchases in this special guest post (note: Noami has another helpful article on our parents’ page right now as well).

Budgeting for In-Game Purchases
By Naomi Norbez

Yes, kids still want to spend money on clothes and toys, but today these coveted purchases might just be virtual clothes and toys Continue reading “Kids spending real money on virtual goods”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Parenting | Tags: fortnite, in game purchases, microtransactions, video games | Leave A Comment