Kids find paradise by cell phone light?

You are full of hot air. I think its the male bonding and unity which has u in a frenzy.

The only thing "shocking" is the amount of energy dedicated to something as puerile as sexting. If you want your children to behave responsibility, teach them (not simply "tell" them) what that means - and then show them by setting a good example. If you want your children to act with discipline - them them, and them model what disciplined behavior looks like.

Etiquette

Decorum

Propriety

If you value these things as hallmarks of an advanced and civilized society - prove it. Live it and so teach by example.

Great article. Thanks for the insight. I have seen the commercial, but never stopped long enough to actually think about the commercial. Kinda glad I didn't without your take on it. I will now really enjoy the commercial and let kids be kids, because they will if I worry about it or not.

I think the columnist needs to lighten up. We baby our kids too much!

It is a great article. But, I can't help thinking perhaps she has read too far into the commercial itself. Could it possibly be that Meatloaf and Tiffany just needed the money? And since Paradise is an easily recognizable song of Meatloaf's that was the reason it was used? I could be wrong. But it deosn't seem like anyone has thought of it from this angle. As for the "sexting," I agree that kids do stupid things. And, along with advances in technology, they are and will be doing even more supid things than we ever did at their age. But, I can't help but wonder who is monitoring cell phone useage and why kids that young need a cell phone much less a camera phone. That kind of like giving the keys to the jail to the inmates. Of course theit going to escape. Of course hormone fillied adolecents are going to take questionable pictures with their phones. We as parents need to do a better job checking up on them especially if we're ging to give them a cell phone with internet access and a camera.

That is my soapbox rant for the day.

This is a ridiculous conversation--for starters, the commercial is a play on Meat Loaf's role in the recent Tenacious D movie, not an insidious plot to corrupt the youth of America. (And if it were, does anyone really think Meat Loaf would be the ideal vessel for such heinous intent?)

As to "sexting"--nothing more that a technologically advanced version of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Children become sexually curious beings much earlier than many parents are comfortable with, but those parents need to suck it up. Not everything is child pornography, not everyone is a predator, not every new development is a crisis.

Your children want to explore their sexuality just like you once did, and should not be made to feel like deviants (or worse, criminals) for acting on these natural impulses, whatever the medium of expression might be.

everyone is right on track so far. let kids be kids... they will grow-up before you know it , and think back on things they've done and say to themselves, that was dumb... To BBFM, RIGHT ON !

A well-written piece, except for the "creepy" connection with the WORDS of Meatloaf's "Paradise.." Few people identify with the words, and I think the point was to (successfully, I think) use the MELODY to get a parent's attention. Quite a stretch to connect ancient lyrics that were never uttered in the commercial, so to answer Helen Popkin's rhetorical question in her first line – no, no one else is creeped out but you.

it's a cool commercial..i think we have more important things to be concerned with ...for example...how BUSH and his loser cronies have destroyed this country...

I think Ms Popkin is putting way too much stock on a putative connection between a marketing effort to sell a phone (good commercial, by the way - my wife and I thought), and her own grisly imagination. I think Ms P, YOU should get your mind out of your teens pants. Kinda creepy there, lady...

Exactly what is wrong with sex by the dashboard lights? Are you so old that you can't remember what it's like to be young and oversexed? With or without your lame opinion, teenagers will continue to have sex anywhere and everywhere they can. I personally love the commercial and it brings back great memories. Instead of "grow up" I bid you to back up!

I'm sorry, but the meatloaf commercial is overall creepy and silly. If someone gets sucked into buying a gophone based on this commercial then they are silly themselves. When that kid bites his lip and starts rocking out, I want to die laughing. And the mom with the giant piece of meat? Gimme a break; too hilarious! This commercial is not good - barfo!

Get a life Popkin, All I can say is:
It's national hamburger week, don't let your meat loaf.

I love Michael Aday!

Meat loaf always made me physically ill; just to look at him, but...I am not the least bit offended by that commercial. I think it's hilarious and it doesn't make kids more likely to have sex yada...yada...yada. It's just funny. The big hunk of meat could mean "meatloaf" or it could be a sign of our crumbling civilization regressing into the Cro-Magnon era...eating raw meat and beating on our chests....Having said that, it doesn't matter in the great scheme of things.

As for texting their nude pictures, that's something that parents need to get a handle on before some 45 year old pervert sees their 13-year-old and makes contact posing as a 15-year-old. That is a very dangerous proposition. "To Catch A Predator" is the real deal, friends and it's not funny. Not in the least.

Seriously? We're "sexting" now?! Where the hell was MY memo sent?

As a [00010100] year old myself, I've never heard of this "sexting" "crisis" until about 5 minutes ago. If this is indeed happening as much as this article will lead some to believe (I'd say, what? 5 cases reported IF THAT? We only know how much Soccer Mum's can freak out at the sight of anything they find strange or wrong in their eyes and have been known to make a HUGE fuss over the smallest and uncommon things, because they assume if THEIR perfect angel did it then ALL the other not-as-perfect kids must be doing it too, all for the sake of trying to "correct the corrupt American youth" or, heaven forbid, "save our sinful souls from the devil" and his agreement with ATNT to work together to makes us stray off the path of Righteousness and lead us into the Kingdom of Heaven.) (I only mention this because I've known some pretty... interesting... Soccer Mums in my short [00010100] years.)

Also, when I saw this commercial, I didn't know what the hell it was talking about until I heard something about a Phone. "Random weird Phone commercial." That's all I thought of when I saw this. Not being of the Baby-boomer's generation I had no idea the Dad was this Meatloaf character or his Wife OR his son!

My point being, as others have already stated, kids WILL do stupid things, either will stop or WILL have the consequences brought down upon their heads for not thinking as anyone rational would and SHOULD have done. T_T I've been told being my age (not disclosed for obvious reasons, unless you can read Binary. People not taking someone seriously in some areas smarter then them because they write them off as "inexperienced" simply because we don't number as great in mortal years) kids are as angry and hormonal as they'll ever be, and I feel I'm quite capable of telling the difference between a good idea and something that could totally destroy my image at school, home, and future carrier. (You think the Girls from "2 Girls. 1 Cup." will ever get a teaching job or some other place of work where image is important? They've said themselves that they'll forever be known as the girls who posted that stupid and sick video on the internet and it blew up in thier faces.)

Also, the vast majority of kids this GoPhone company is (supposedly) marketing to will have no idea what the song is about, the song this commercials spin-off originally was, and also will hopefully stop and think before doing anything as dumb as sending a naked picture of themselves to someone they could break up with in a week!

Also, if your a parent worried about your kids "sexting" just sit them down, turn off the TV, and talk to them about this. Contrary to popular belief, most of us will at least think about what you said despite our "raging hormones" when "sexting" if it ever does pop into their heads to do it because YOU ARE our little inner voice telling us what to do on some level, and if you make it clear enough how bad it can go, they most likely Will think before doing it.

If all else fails, remind them of how ****ed up the girls from "2 Girls. 1 Cup." lives are now that they posted that video on the Internet. Tell them the SAME EXACT THING COULD HAPPEN TO THEM! This will at least freak them out enough to stop them dead in their tracks or at least (as mentioned above) remind them while "sexting" that it's a bad move.

---------------------------------------------

This is [0001001100110111], signing off.

Helen honey, I have something for you to "wrap your head around". Since you like to do that sooo much.

Hmmmm, I have yet to figure out why a kid would text message when they have a flippin' phone in their hands. Just call me old fashioned,, but I will be damned if my kid's will get a phone now! I just took little Johnny's from him, sent him to his room, and told him he would just have to settle with web IM and an old fashioned web cam if he wanted to see pictures of his friends! ;)

Ok, it is funny how people get so worked up over miniscule things, like a commercial. When I was a teenager, even college student, I had a cell phone and I never sent nude photos of myself. I will say someone has sent one or two to me, not by request I must add. The thing is some kids, or even people in general, are into that and for them it is being rebellious, naughty, walking on the wild side, or maybe just being a horny person. To say a commercial is supporting that is ridiculous. Some kids will do that and some won't. At the same time some adults will be doing the same thing. As a parent you can only try to set an example and talk to them, but think about this: parents vs. hormones? Which do you think will win? Unfortunately the best way to learn is through experience, so kids will have experiences, they will have regrets, but through time they will learn and become wiser. I am sure everyone has done things their parents wouldn't approve of.

Ms.Popkin states: 'This commercial is so wrong on so many levels, it's all I can do to wrap my brain around it. Every time it comes on (often TWICE during one commercial break) I'm certainly incapable of changing the channel, let alone looking away. '
1) wrap my brain around it???What the heck does that mean??
2)incapable of changing the channel?Did she lose the remote?
3)let alone looking away;notice how people are hypnotized by commercials?
It's good to see older celebrities still working.

PUH-lease! ITS A COMMERCIAL!!
Can people just calm down for a second and worry about important stuff, like wars and
gas prices and the environment?
As for kids sending nude pictures to each other: so what? Why are parents always so shocked when they discover that teenagers drink, do drugs or...gasp!...have sex? weren't WE doing the same things
in high school? and guess what, most of us lived to adulthood and lived to tell about it.
Americans are hypocrits: porn is a billion $$$ industry, extra-marital affairs are the norm and normal adults love sex. Yet we all act so stunned when we discover that our kids are the same as us.
Who do you think they're learning it from?
wake up people. and calm down.

Just kids being kids. This kind of stuff has been going on forever, the only difference is our current technology allows these moments to be shared with everyone.

The song is about the perils of teenage sex. It has a moral. "And now I'm waiting for the end of time, because if I have to spend another minute with you, I don't think that I can really survive..." The adult is paying for the mistakes of the teenager.

This is not a message it hurt me to hear as a teenager, nor is it a message I mind my teenager hearing. Make a mistake, pay the price.

Stupid takes only an instant, recovering can take forever.

Oh, come on! This "sexting" thing is not just old news, it's practically ancient news in internet time. From my position on a major college campus, I can tell you that this has been going on among incoming freshmen for at least 3 years because that's when I became aware of it. According to them, it had been around a while before that. It is easy to understand, and it has absolutely nothing to do with that commercial.

This generation of kids has been raised in the most extreme sexually schizophrenic environment in world history. On the one hand, since they could click a mouse they have been immersed in an ocean of pornography. They have shown each other pictures of women having sex with pigs and dogs, anal sex with bottles, men having sex with everything remotely plausible. Sadism, bondage, suspension and pony-girls are just the normal context of their growing up with the internet. Rap songs celebrate arresting "bee-yatchs" and all the rest.

At the same time, particularly for middle class kids of all races, they have been given the most anti-sexual, anti-touching, stranger-danger education ever. For god's sake, they come out of high school now, and teachers are so scared to death of them that before college they have never taken their underwear off in the locker room! The kids that do that are foriegn.

So, what's that message add up to for them? It means, "Oh. Pictures of anything about sex are Ok. The real thing is not, unless you are a guy dressed like a ghetto punk, or a hollyweird slut." So of course they send nude pics of themselves. (And lots go through a phase of dressing like ghetto punks and sluts.) Their parents have been doing racy video, live over the internet on dating sites for years before that. Men masturbating, women stripping for an audience on the dating site is not uncommon. And you think the kids don't know? You think they haven't logged in using their parents stolen passwords and such. These kids know how to do that kind of hacking. It's easy as pie.

So let's get real here. Who do we adults think we are fooling? This article is like a cartoon from the old "Bloom County" by Breathed - that quote I like, "Shocked! Yes! Shocked we are! At these GOINGS ON! In the meadow!"

"Sexting" is just another technology enhanced way to play with sex. Teens and adults are into sex. Get a grip and deal with it. This is never going to change. It's an obvious and relatively speaking, safe way for the kids to see each other in a sexual way. Sure, they know the pictures get posted sometimes, at least the older ones do. But they have been seeing porn all over the place since they were itty-bitty, and it was no big deal. Now all of a sudden some moralizing moron has noticed what has been going on for half a decade or so?

Shocked! Shocked we are! At these GOINGS ON!