Screen Life

This is an excerpt from an article written by Dudley titled, “Screen Life – Parenting in the Youthful World of Social Networking. To download the full-length article, click here. 
 
Bob Johns sat in the balcony at the U2 concert in the new Cowboy Stadium. Between Bob and the stage was a sea of young adults on the floor level. But what caught Bob’s attention was the flicker of cell phone screens – thousands of them – as photos, status updates, streaming video, and tweets uploaded to various social networking sites around the world. Bob commented to his friend, “We’re watching one of the premiere bands in the world, and those guys are staring at their phones.”
 
Bob, who has spent over 25 years in local church youth ministry, commented that our kids have more means of communicating than any generation before, but may be saying less, and certainly less that is meaningful.  This is a world of front-line media that has even the most intentional parents scrambling to keep up. Today, kids from ages five to 13 are beginning to use the internet, cell phones and social networking sites. The most popular social media includes MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and cell phone texting. 
 
Christian parents must engage the world in which their kids live from a practical and Biblical perspective. The best response is to jump into our child’s context and look for ways to understand it, and to ensure safe and moral practices. Learning how to live “in the world, but not of the world” has been challenging believers for centuries.  Today that means learning these new technologies. If you know the basics about computing and your child is an online guru, now is the time to sign up for these free social networking sites, or at least the ones your kids are using
 
Your involvement in social media might open the door for meaningful discussion about the joys and struggles going on in your child’s life. Imagine an evening conversation starting with, “I noticed on your status update that you were feeling kind of down today. Would you like to talk about it?” Being involved in your child’s world is not just a good idea; it’s good parenting. 
 
“Follow Me.” 
Jesus said, “Follow Me” long before Twitter co-opted the phrase. The most overarching principle in scripture that speaks to this world of social networking is the concept of Lordship. Jesus made no apologies for the social inconveniences of choosing His path.  
 
As parents, we have the responsibility to guide our children into an awareness of how social networking can enhance or challenge our devotion to Christ. Any activity or relationship that commands hours of our child’s day should be considered as a potential rival for the throne of their hearts, including time on the internet or cell phone. With a growing awareness of your child’s world, you can ask deeper questions about the spiritual themes they encounter. Ask, “What is God doing in that friend’s life? Do you see any reason for concern about what your friend posts?  What does it mean for you to use Facebook as a means of sharing your faith?” 
 
“Be with them.”
When Jesus chose His disciples, he had personal relationship in mind. In Mark 3:14 we read, “He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with Him…”(italics added). Clearly, being in relationship with Jesus was a life-on-life adventure. It happened in person. Together they lived in a social network that didn’t rely on remote communications. Our parenting should integrate this biblical concept, designating times when all technology is turned off – a “No Tech Time” – and the people in the room receive our full attention.
 
In the end, social networking is a neutral medium, like landline phones or letter writing was to previous generations. How our children use social media either expresses their commitment to Christ, or becomes an idol that challenges His Lordship. Engaged, godly parents create the environment in which children learn how to stay personally “connected” to God and to others. We guide them into the world of face-to-face relationships. We convey that God cares about our “updates” more than anyone, and He listens to every “tweet” and prayer.