Happy Slutty Halloween

Posted on: 10/28/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

mean-girls-Halloween-slut“In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it.”   -Cady, Mean Girls

Maybe it’s because I’ve been on shopping excursions with my two teenage girls…

Maybe it’s because I know America’s growing obsession with sex in entertainment, like so many movies this fall

Maybe it’s because I’ve read this entire report from the American Psychological Association (APA) about the negative effects of the “sexualization” of our young girls… Continue reading “Happy Slutty Halloween”

How to Kill a Hooker

Posted on: 10/8/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Hey kids, it’s that time again! Grand Theft Auto just released their brand new game, Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5). The game broke all the records, raking in literally a billion dollars in the first three days. It’s the hottest thing on the shelf right now for young gamers… oh… and it teaches you how to kill a hooker.

In a country where over 90 percent of young people between the ages 2 and 17 are playing video games, this is pretty concerning. In fact, there are so many Continue reading “How to Kill a Hooker”

Teen Social Media Hookup Culture Unveiled

Posted on: 10/3/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

My Twitter followers saw me link an article Tuesday morning I described as the most accurate article I’ve ever read about today’s social media hookup culture. It’s a day later, and I stand my ground.

Don’t misinterpret my words: I’m not saying the activities described in this article are what every kid is doing “on Facebook” (Omegle? Probably so), but I would say that I observe the ripple effect from this subculture rocking Continue reading “Teen Social Media Hookup Culture Unveiled”

Miley’s Wrecking Ball

Posted on: 09/17/13 7:44 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s really been sad watching the downward spiral of Miley over the last 5 years. I say that with sincerity, as the father of two girls who used to watch the Hannah Montana show. It’s sad seeing a childhood hero make decisions that hurl a wrecking ball through her life.

Miley gets completely naked in her newest music video Wrecking Ball, in true iTunes “clean” style, never showing the few inches of real estate that would result in an explicit label. She just rides the wrecking ball naked, licking a sledgehammer while singing “all you ever did was wreck me.” The video has Continue reading “Miley’s Wrecking Ball”

SnapChat and the Ostrich Parent

Posted on: 09/5/13 3:27 AM | by Jonathan McKee

You’d think the recent news about SnapChat would be enough to finally convince parents to step in and hit the DELETE button, right?

So why is it 74 percent of parents are simply sticking their heads in the sand and just “hoping for the best”?

Most of us already knew this popular mobile app SnapChat was dangerous for young people. If you read my warnings about the app long ago, then you realized it was not only a convenient little tool for sexting, but it also provided teenagers with a false sense of “lack of accountability.” The pictures “vanish”… don’t they?

A recent lawsuit amongst the SnapChat creators has revealed Continue reading “SnapChat and the Ostrich Parent”

The VMAs: Insight into Our Kids Music

Posted on: 08/28/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

What music videos are most teens watching?

What songs fill your teens’ music library in that device in their pocket?

Which artists are the biggest role models for young people today?

What truths are your teens gleaning from these heroes?

The VMAs answered these questions with a megaphone on Sunday night, and surprisingly… people were actually surprised with the answers. Funny. The event wasn’t surprising in the least. It was typical Lady Gaga, typical Miley Cyrus, typical Justin Timberlake, Typical Bruno Mars… typical MTV.

Sad that “typical” is often confused with “no big deal.”

So what can we take away from cable’s #1 entertainment telecast of 2013 among young people age 12-34? Glad you asked.

Here’s our Youth Culture Window article unveiling what millions of young people gleaned from this eccentric and aberrant pop culture jamboree this year.

CLICK HERE FOR THIS ARTICLE:
THE CULTURE BEHIND THE MUSIC

Nudity and Sex… No Big Deal

Posted on: 07/24/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

We’ve seen an increase in nudity and sensuality on TV, in Music Videos, and other entertainment media in the last few years. Should we be concerned? Is America concerned?

STD rates are up in my city and up to 23% higher in my entire state. These rates are the highest among young adults age 15-24. I thought it was bad enough in 2008 when the U.S. Center for Disease Control informed us all 1 in 4 teenage girls in America have an STD. Is America’s chillaxed attitude about sex sending young people the wrong message?

My girls went to Italy and France last summer and saw some of the classic paintings and sculptures from brilliant artists like Michelangelo, DaVinci… and those other Ninja turtles. As they gazed at nude paintings in the Louvre and on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel… my wife didn’t cover their eyes.

So when is nudity art… Continue reading “Nudity and Sex… No Big Deal”

Evolution of the Bikini

Posted on: 07/10/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

How do most guys respond when they see a woman in a bikini?

That’s what a group of men at Princeton sought to discover. In their study they showed men photographs of scantily clad women and observed brain activity.

“They are responding to these photographs as if they were responding to objects.”

This is just a snippet of the research clothing designer Jessica Rey shares in this fascinating little YouTube video about the history of the bikini:

This video probably provokes polar responses from audiences, cheers from one end and sneers from the other (the teenage side of the audience). And that’s what I like about it. It’s heated topics like this that Continue reading “Evolution of the Bikini”

Blocking Unwanted Web Sites

Posted on: 07/2/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“What can I do to block my kids from wandering onto bad web sites?”

That’s the gist of the question I hear at least once a week and at every one of my parenting workshops. I just heard it from multiple youth workers (who happened to also be parents) last month at the Student Leadership Conference 2013 in Dallas.

The answer is never simple, because many parents are searching for a miracle pill, and unfortunately, that’s not what their kids need. I don’t blame parents—it would be nice to have some magic guardrails keeping our kids on course as they navigate today’s tumultuous waters. But the truth of the matter is, our kids need to learn discernment. Life is full of distractions, and young people need to learn to press on when the beautiful voices of the Sirens attempt to lure them to steer into the rocks.

But discernment isn’t learned instantaneously. We’re fools to think that our 8-year-olds, our 11-year-olds, and yes… even some of our 15-year-olds… are ready to meander through the red light district (like what they might find on the iTunes video charts) without wandering into trouble. So what can parents do to block off some harmful distractions during this vulnerable stage of teaching our kids discernment?

After my recent Lure of the Glowing Screen workshop, a youth worker named Robby asked if I had heard of blocking content at the router level. I had heard a little, but am no expert. He told me about a free resource he uses Continue reading “Blocking Unwanted Web Sites”

5 Years of Miley

Posted on: 06/25/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“Yikes. Now she is getting crazy.”

“Miley? Knock knock… U still in there… (broken heart icon)”

“She’s trying way too hard and it’s embarrassing to watch.”

Those are the top three comments on Miley Cyrus’ new We Can’t Stop music video on iTunes today. Even many of her fans seem to have lost hope in her. I read 20 comments and less than half were good.

I can’t say I disagree with her “fans.” Miley is a young woman with enormous potential, but her standing as a role model for young girls is rapidly morphing from Hannah Montana to Lindsey Lohan. It’s been sad watching Miley’s moral decline over the past 5 years (scroll to the bottom of this post where I provide quick-links to Miley’s antics over the past 5 years).

It’s hard to even describe Miley’s new We Can’t Stop music video. USA TODAY’s Patrick Ryan says it  well Continue reading “5 Years of Miley”