Apr 27, 2022
Meet Matt McKee. An author, entrepreneur and ordained pastor, among other things, he has found his sweet spot at the intersection of parenting and technology. He likes to think of himself as “just another guy trying to make a difference.”
Married for 23 years to Jessica, with whom he has two teenaged sons, McKee has — and is in demand to speak publicly — a wealth of information and insights about raising kids in the digital age. He has written Parent Chat: The Technology Chat for Every Family and co-wrote Parenting in a Tech World with Titiana Jordan.
“As a parent, we really have to up our emotional intelligence more than anything else in helping our kids deal with all the difficult things happening on tech,” he says.
In addition to founding three technology companies, McKee also is the senior vice president of business development with Bark.us, an internet safety solution that helps parents and schools keep children safer across social media, text messaging, and email. One of the solutions that makes the most sense to McKee, that builds greater trust and rapport with your child, involves making your kid your teacher.
“Go ask your kid, ‘Can you teach me how?’ ’’ McKee says. “Can you teach me how this app works? Can you teach me how this video game works? Can you teach me how this device works? And what you’ll start to see is technology through the lens of your child and because of that, you will be able to give them purpose, and without purpose you can’t have accountability. Without purpose, you can’t get them to the places you want them to go.”