A Note from Nancy…
What did we do before the mobile phone took over our lives? I actually knew phone numbers, and if not I used a phone book. I used maps and still got lost, read real books and newspapers for information. When in the car with my kids, we talked, sang and I generally paid attention to the road. Today, I don’t know my kids’ phone numbers. I use google maps and get the news from a screen. I love the convenience of my phone as do you but we are finding that too much of a good thing can not only have adverse effects on us personally but on our family as well.
The average American teenager consumes over 5 hours of recreational screen content daily with parents following closely behind at over 4 hours of content. Parents and teens alike agree that their excessive contact with technology negatively influences productivity. It can also present roadblocks to quality conversations, critical thinking, emotional connections, and creativity. Today, 44% of teens and 33% of parents admit to having unchecked, undisciplined, and unhealthy interaction with their phones.
What risks come to adult and teens with increasing exposure to technology?
– Conduct risks- bullying, sexting, denigration, exclusion from a group or an event, exposing someone’s personal life
– Content risks- pornographic, violent, racist, false and misleading content
– Contact risks- “stranger danger,” stalking, harassment, impersonation
– Commercial risks- advertising, excessive/hidden marketing, scams
How pervasive is sexual content online?
– 1 out of every 4 online searches is for pornographic content.
– Every second 30,000 people are viewing pornography.
– The average age of first exposure is 11.
– Pornography increases the marital infidelity rate by more than 300%
– In 56% of all divorce cases, one party had an excessive interest in porn sites.
Kara Powell has some great advice for all of us!
Click here to watch Kara Powell: Numb Generation Full Version
Anchorsaway is committed to building strong biblical worldview foundations of faith that can stand up against the temptations that Satan offers up through the internet. We, as parents, can set firewalls on family computers, but the only way to stay away from those things that corrupt our hearts and minds is to intentionally build within our families an atmosphere of love and openness.
Change is not easy but now, in many homes, it is a matter of grave necessity. Parents are the number one influencer of children which makes it so important to see parents living out their faith. We all need to take time to earnestly pray, beginning with ourselves, our families and friends and seek God’s strength and wisdom in how to live well in this broken world. Turn off the screens and talk with one another. Be present and connect with conversations and plan times to talk all together once a day. Yes, it takes discipline and sacrifice, but without open communication and families praying together, our homes become nothing more than boarding houses! Have fun together. Laugh together. Pull out the board games, go camping – even indoors, cook a meal together, do a craft, hike, plan a picnic, volunteer as a family and go on a mission trip together.
We hope these ideas will help bring together what the world is trying to tear apart! Due to this information, we have added Worldview and Tech to our Anchorsaway Worldview Bootcamp October 27th and 28th; to attend please register visit our Anchorsaway.org/events page. For more information please review our Bootcamp Agenda and Flier.
Additional Resources:
Andy Crouch: Managing Technology
Greg Beaverson is hosting a Kingdom or Culture seminar on October 21-22. For more information contact Greg at [email protected].
We are thankful for your faithfulness in prayer, hands on support and financial generosity. We can continue reaching hundreds of students every year because of you! Every dollar we raise makes a difference. To join us in this effort, Click here to donate.
Colossians 2:8 – “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
Thank you so much. Blessings!
Nancy