YouTube dad dishes out advice to parents of social media teens

By now, you know the story about the YouTube dad from Stanly County who shot his daughter's laptop in response to her Facebook post.

Tommy Jordan, from Stanly County, is a no-nonsense dad who posted his video on YouTube called "Facebook Parenting: For the troubled teen," and it instantly went viral.

His video has received nearly 28 million views and nearly every media outlet in the country has requested an interview with Jordan.

Jordan has not spoken publicly since posting the video except on his Facebook page.

Watch the video (WARNING: Some Explicit Language)

He has vehemently denied all requests for on-camera interviews and denouncing the media's attempts to get him or his family on camera.

However, Jordan was gracious enough to answer wsoctv.com's request for 10 questions with the YouTube dad.   (You can read the full transcript of Jordan's interview right here).

We asked Jordan what it was like knowing that 26.5 million (as of Friday) have watched his video.  “It’s still surreal to me and to my family.  A few people have stopped me in the mall or in public as far as 200 miles from home this past week to say, ‘hi.’  The online response though … it’s been simply amazing,” Jordan said.

Jordan said he has been invited to “almost every major and most minor news networks from the US, a few from Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia.”

As for his daughter’s reaction to the video, Jordan said, “It was what you’d expect I suppose if you came home and found your parents had tossed/broken/destroyed/or given away any toy you had as a kid.  She was mad, but in the end she got over it pretty quickly.”

When asked if he went out and bought his daughter another laptop after putting nine bullet holes in hers, Jordan said, “Really? You mean did I feel so overwhelmed with guilt for embarrassing her that I'd go back on my word and give her another one just because I felt bad? No.”

We asked Jordan if his daughter still has chores to do.  "Yes, she still has her chores.  No they haven't been reduced, but no they haven't been added to either," he said.  And as for his daughter still being grounded, Jordan said, "Oh yeah."

The most telling answer came when we asked Jordan what his advice would be to parents of teens who use social media.  One that might better explain his reasoning for such a dramatic response to his daughter's actions.

“This hasn't made the media, but thanks to "snooping," I've already caught one 30-year old man trying to set up a time to come over and have sex with one of my daughter's friends, Jordan said. “My daughter happened to be over at that girl's house that night. This was about a year ago. I wouldn't ever tell the girl's name to anyone, but I called the cops and told them about it.”

Jordan also said that parents of teens who use social media "need to accept that the idea that a young teen has a right to privacy online is a joke … Your job as their parents first and foremost is to protect them and love them. All the rest is secondary, Jordan said.”

For the full transcript of Jordan's interview with wsoctv.com, click here.

Head on over to our Facebook page and leave your thoughts on YouTube's dad's answers to our 10 questions.

Previous Stories:

• Neighbors of YouTube dad say he 'Opened a can of worms'
• Police say Stanly Co. YouTube dad did nothing wrong
• YouTube dad says authorities pay visit, daughter gets job offer
• Albemarle man shoots daughter's laptop after reading Facebook rant