Texting and social media “may not be enough”

Posted on: 04/27/20 3:22 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Last week Common Sense Media released the results of their most recent teen survey…during this Coronavirus epidemic… asking teens not only about screen-time, but their feelings and fears through all this.

The two numbers that jumped out at me the most were these:

  • 48% say they feel less connected than usual with their friends right now.

Common sense suggests that even though Continue reading “Texting and social media “may not be enough””

Sexual Orientation and Suicide Attempts

Posted on: 02/18/20 3:11 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Many of you saw headlines about the number of young people identifying as LGBTQ doubling in the last decade and attempted suicide rates four times higher than their heterosexual peers. This week I’ll be unpacking those numbers, but more importantly… how we should respond.

The American Academy of Pediatrics just posted a brand new study looking at the disparities among US adolescents from 2009 to 2017 (which are the newest numbers they have from the CDC Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance data, something I’ve written to you about before). The bottom line:

Getting Tired of Social Media

Posted on: 01/14/20 9:46 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Hailey Bieber calls Instagram a breeding ground for cruelty.

Lizzo quits twitter because of all the haters.

Kendall Jenner detoxes from Insta for a week.

And they’re not alone.

Is social media really all it’s cracked up to be?

Instagram, Twitter… is SUCH a breeding ground for cruelty towards each other, and because people don’t take the time to connect with each other on an honest level before they resort to hatred, it starts to damage what could be really beautiful human interaction and connection. – Hailey Bieber

Today I spent the day with Focus on the Family recording shows with the Plugged-In team and dialoguing with them about the effects of Continue reading “Getting Tired of Social Media”

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”

Who do your kids follow?

Posted on: 09/25/19 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Kids have always liked celebrities, and celebrities have always had influence… but never to the extent they do today.

In 1984 Madonna shocked the world at the first MTV Video Music Awards, rolling around on the stage in a wedding dress provocatively singing, Like a Virgin. Before you knew it, Gen X teens everywhere (now 50-year-old moms) were wearing lace gloves, 20 bracelets, a rosary, and if Mom and Dad weren’t looking—lingerie on the outside of their clothes. Madonna was an influencer (great documentary on how video killed the radio star- Episode 7 of this Netflix series).

But how much influence did a celebrity have at that time?

Kids could play Continue reading “Who do your kids follow?”

How to Help Your Kids Dodge Digital Distractions

Posted on: 07/14/19 11:53 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Hands down, the biggest question I’m asked at my parent workshops is, “How can we help our kids if they are spending too much time with screens?”

Great question. And here’s another place you can find the answer.

I’ve been collaborating with Focus on the Family a lot lately, getting to know their leaders (my podcast interviewing Jim and John from the Focus Daily Show), speaking for them, writing articles, shooting podcasts and doing radio shows. It’s been fun working with them in this role, so much in fact that they have brought me on as a “Focus on the Family Associate.”

This doesn’t mean we’re married… but we’re dating.   🙂

In short, I provide them with content, and they plug much of our content at TheSource4Parents.com. A win/win for both ministries.

They just released one of my new articles on their site with four tips moms and dads can use to help their kids who might be clocking in too much screen time Continue reading “How to Help Your Kids Dodge Digital Distractions”

80’s fads they NEED to bring back

Posted on: 06/24/19 3:19 PM | by Jonathan McKee

(and a few that are better long gone)

I was in 4thgrade when I entered the 80’s.

Good times.

I have nostalgic memories of gliding along to Journey at the roller rink, or watching Family Ties and the Cosby Show (yeah… before “Cosby” was a bad word) on Thursday nights with the family!

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder where some of those fun fads have gone, like guys wearing no socks with a suit, or girls with bangs so high they added 6-inches to their height (okay, maybe I’m glad that one is gone) Continue reading “80’s fads they NEED to bring back”

Helping Teens Become Wise with Their Screens

Posted on: 05/15/19 3:22 AM | by Jonathan McKee

How should parents, mentors, teachers and youth workers respond to a generation that can’t seem to pry their eyes from their screens? The answer is conversations… and here is a YouTube video where I present four necessary conversations we need to have with today’s young people!

This is a talk I gave at Summit Ministries’ Basecamp event in Colorado Springs last week… and they just posted my talk to YouTube! The topic was helping teens become wise with their screens… only 30 minutes and change. Enjoy! (He introduces me at 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the video.) Continue reading “Helping Teens Become Wise with Their Screens”

Top posts so far…

Posted on: 03/18/19 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

If your year has been as busy as mine… and your inbox as full as mine… then you might have missed a few things. So let me highlight a few posts you DON’T want to miss.

This year we’ve already released some really helpful articles for parents and youth workers… here’s a few really good resources already posted this year on either TheSource4Parents.com or TheSource4YM.com :

Helping kids hear truth in a world blaring lies: 3 proactive practices parents can pursue

Oh, and I’m bisexual: and how to respond to that

Continue reading “Top posts so far…”

Resisting the Urge to Talk Teen

Posted on: 01/24/19 9:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s funny how often I see “old people” like me trying so hard to be current with “young people.”

Today I was on a middle school campus hanging out with young people and I noticed something. They don’t care whether I’m wearing the newest Vans (you know, the kind that looks like a checkerboard), or if I use the current teen talk (“Man, that’s sus!”) … they just care that I’m there to listen.

And that’s the secret to talking teen: just shut up and listen Continue reading “Resisting the Urge to Talk Teen”