Technology Matters
Technology Matters
Disclaimer: this topic should be discussed with your children, but we recommend parents read and review first.
The job of raising kids has been positively impacted by the rise of great resources due to technology. However, raising our children has also become difficult because of the dangers of technology. While the use of our devices can allow for incredible benefits, unbridled use of devices can lead to serious spiritual problems.
For the parent, the ultimate goal of raising our young people is to instill and cultivate a soft heart for God. Setting aside all the other desires for our young people, this is the one that matters the most, and the one to which all others should be subservient. Proverbs 22:6 gives a wise principle about this fight for the heart. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” While not a guarantee, this verse tells us that as parents if we can capture the hearts of our children and impart to them a deep desire for God then we can greatly increase their ability to have a successful life in God’s economy.
Andrew Linder (godlyparent.com) summarized this goal of parenting and its intersection with technology in a wonderful way: “The war for the heart is usually won or lost on the battlefield of the mind.” Countless studies have been done on the exposure of unguarded technology and how it affects young people today. A Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org) study reveals that the average age for Pornography exposure today is now under 10 years old. Reports of online enticement of minors increased 300% from 2021 to 2023 with a reported 36 million reports to tiplines.
Common Sense Media found that teens who identified as “very religious” reported that they are more likely to report viewing pornography through social media or non-pornography websites. Many social media platforms have taken steps in the last few years to deregulate the censorship of pornographic material on their platforms - Instagram, X, TikTok, and others among them. Snapchat creates an environment that encourages sexual promiscuity through its disappearing content designed to “make teens feel more comfortable sharing personal moments compared to other social media platforms.”
The access and content of widely accessible sexual material has continued to grow more perverse as well. Common Sense Media found that 52 percent of teenagers have viewed violent forms of pornography.
Are you, like me, feeling shocked and overwhelmed as a Christian parent in today’s world? How do we protect and guide our kids in this environment while equipping them to stand strong in their walk with Christ? Let me give you a few brief practical tools plus some more robust resources.
Don’t resign Big Topics to only Big Conversations.
One of the most common situations is that we take serious issues, have one big conversation about it, and then never revisit that topic unless there is a problem that forces us to do so. As Christian parents, we should be proactive about introducing Biblical topics into conversations as much as we can. We should have regular check-ins with our young people on these topics as well. The point is not to be reactionary with our conversations, but precautionary.
Make clear boundaries for your young person around technology.
As a parent, one of our key responsibilities is to raise our children in a way that they eventually no longer rely on us to guide every behavior. What do I mean by that? Our focus should not be on creating a hand-holding environment that forces our young person to make the right decisions, but instead, focus on creating a young person who has developed the maturity and discipline to make the right decisions on their own. Set clear boundaries for your child about how, when, and where we use technology while instilling in them the reasons for this. Teach them how to build a wise internet use philosophy, not just a behavior conformity philosophy.
Set up a filtering system to safeguard your young person.
The internet is an incredibly informative place, but it is a very wise decision to have a system in place that controls what information and education your young person is receiving. Unfiltered internet access is as dangerous for our young people as keeping open bottles of poison around our house. Often beginning with curiosity, the dark roads of the Internet can expose young people to things a parent would never desire them to be exposed to. Several tools can restrict that from happening. Covenant Eyes, Bark, and Circle are some of the most common and robust. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses, so each family should look through what best services the needs in their home. You won’t regret making this investment in protecting your young person.
Stay up to date on the current media trends and dangers.
The culture around us continues to grow and progress in its debauchery. Therefore, the wise and discerning parent needs to make sure they are staying current on the issues today. Within the last two years, we have seen the rise of platforms that encourage sex work and promiscuity with little safeguards for young people trying to access them. Video games are constantly being exposed for creating environments for child grooming including Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite due to unrestricted chat features with other people playing.
The parent would be wise to restrict chatting with unknown players or chatting in private. Good resources to help Christian parents stay informed are protectyoungeyes.com/blog and www.bark.us/blog.
For further reading and instruction on this expansive and growing topic, there are a few books and articles that are helpful:
The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch;
inallthings.org/christian-wisdom-on-technology-use-and-parenting/;
godlyparent.com/im-stay-3-technology-tips-parents/
While not everything may be endorsed in these resources, they provide a great platform to start with as a Christian parent.
Serving Together,
Pastor Derek