I laughed at the end of the first post - the woman asking about what
the musicians would be wearing (seemingly unconcerned about the content.)
I remember an innocuous little ditty sung in the early 60's - something on a record my oldest sister owned.
Went something like this"
"hooka tooka my sodah cracka
does your mama chaw tobacca?
If your mama chaws tobacca, sing-
hooka tooka my sodah cracka."

About 18 years later I heard the story from someone at a folk festival. Don't know if it's true or not, but seems way back in the early days of the 20th century, somewhere down south - could've been New Orleans, could've been St. Louis....kids were known to hang around outside certain brothel districts, and when the heat - the vice - the cops - showed up, they'd start hollering this song, just to let the good folks who were partying it up inside these establishments- know that they were in for a raid.
I suppose those were streetwise kids, no doubt.
And I suppose you can speculate endlessly about the exact extent of their involvement within the community.

Perhaps this debate goes to a similar place the one about violent cartoons goes. Me and all my friends watched them, soaked them up endlessly as kids, and far as I know, not one of us ever turned into a serial anything (although I do love a good bran flake now and then.)

The term "child safe" rings my bell in a particular way.
When that word "child" comes up, I want to know the age cut-off right away.
And when this is referring to anyone in high school, I'm aware this includes teenagers up to the age of 18. My step-dad was starting a family at that age. I'm sure he would have taken a dim view of the term.
Most self-respecting adolescents I know despise the term. I always thought that was a pretty healthy attitude. They're looking forward, not back, and can't stand the idea of being dragged backwards.

All that being said - about the most risque thing I heard as a kid was Donovan's "Mellow Yellow"...that I can remember.
The world has changed somewhat, in terms of lyrical content, and in terms of how the music is delivered.

I've always found myself wondering the same thing, however: What the hell does a video artist wearing underwear on the outside have to say to a six-year-old?
I'm not surprised they're drawn to modern pop - kids always are.
What's a shame is that from this point on - everything thrown at them that is supposedly designed for kids - is instantly archaic and out of date.
There is a whole world of great music out there for kids to discover, way beyond just the stuff churned out by the big pop machine - which of course uses sex to the max to sell its product.

I suppose as with many things - as kids tune into a whole world of creative expression, it helps to stay involved with where they're at, and what they actually think of what they're seeing and hearing.
I remember I read James Baldwin at the age of 11 or so - didn't have a clue what a lot of his stuff was about - but I had great talks with my mom about it.

I guess this subject falls right in there with the whole issue of independent mobility - so many kids don't have that anymore.
And the sad and scary part is - so many people don't seem to care. They've worked like the devil to create a world that is so child-unfriendly - that kids need endless protection from it.
From the age of 9 to 13 - in those 5 years of my life - I learned every inch of the city I grew up in. On my own and with friends. The last thing in the world we wanted was adult involvement, or supervision.
At that age I could spin into the Odeon theatre and watch "adult" movies on a Sunday afternoon. Great stuff. Marlon Brando, Bette Davis, Paul Newman, Natalie Wood, Sidney Poitier, Gene Hackman.....

I guess what I really question about today's set-up is the whole notion of specialized "kiddie-cult" pap churned out by the industry - a corporate makeover that sanitizes our world out of anything that remotely resembles reality, and politically corrects it in a nauseatingly blown-dry sort of way.
I grew up in a very Roman Catholic town (northern French Canadian) stepping-stone families...a dozen was the average size) and us kids were all fond of quoting from our "red-letter" editions.
Nevertheless, we were pretty free, curious, healthy, happy, irreverent...not above questioning and challenging the social order.

The point is - kids don't springboard from 6 to 16 instantly.
But that natural evolution of change (that I remember) is taking a beating these days.
If we have to throw up endless webs of protection around them like straightjackets, we need to question just why it is we need it.
It's the adults in the picture that have made the world, not the kids.

I take my hat off to the poster who commented - perhaps its the adults who need protection from the artform, after all!

regards,
jp