EDITORIAL:Parents of teens, the warning is loud and clear

The statement from the night club promoter isn’t particularly daring or surprising or even unexpected: “Sex sells, everyone knows that,” Scott Leotti told the Daily Pilot in a story about his club, OC Platinum.

The only thing shocking about that statement is that Leotti’s club caters to teenagers. And judging from pictures from the club’s events, which can include as many as 700 kids, many from Newport-Mesa, packed tightly into a room with a dance floor and stripper poles, sex is definitely a selling point. The shorts on the girls are short. The tops are tight. The bodies are in motion.

In the past week, the club, which operated out of Hogue Barmichael’s place on Campus Drive, has been closed down because of potential violations of its operating license. But its closure does not mean that the apparent demand is gone. The club could just reopen elsewhere, or some other aspiring entrepreneur will see that Leotti has “never had one bad night” and come up with a new version of the club.

And that should worry parents — at least according to Newport Beach police officers, who have spoken to PTAs about the club, using it as an example of the types of places kids are visiting online and in real life these days. Of particular concern are the photos taken at the club that are then posted on the Internet. As any parent should know by now that it is dangerous — but all too common — for teenagers and kids even younger to have their identities and personal information available on the Internet.

OC Platinum’s website shows off many of this area’s kids. That deserves some concern, especially given the club’s acknowledgment that “sex sells.”

Parents, you have been warned. It is up to you to act as you see fit.