Wayne and I (John-David) learned something new the other day. Did you know that on an iPhone you can send a picture to someone through messenger, they can save or screen shot the picture, then you can unsend it? Or, that you could sent an iMessage and wait until someone has read it and then unsend it? We didn’t. Or at least not directly. I remembered reading that it would be possible in iOS16, but I didn’t grasp the significance of that power until Wayne and I were playing with it.
A kid could send something mean or hateful to your kid, wait until they had read it and then unsend the message so that there would be very little proof. Someone could send an inappropriate picture to your kid or persuade your kid to send one to them and the picture could be unsent with very little evidence that something dangerous had taken place. This is why I want to start a conversation with parents. Even knowing that something is possible is not necessarily enough to understand how or why it might be dangerous to your family or to understand the power of a new tool for parents.
One of the greatest struggles of my ministry has digital devices in our ministry. Last year I did something I had never done before, we put a blanket ban on digital devices for the full week of camp and it was wonderful! It changed the dynamic in the cabin completely. It even changed the bus ride home! I stay away from absolutes on these issues, but I think this will likely be something I continue going forward.
A blanket ban on all electronics is probably not practical for parents today however, at least not unless you are planning to move to an Amish community. Which some days is a little tempting. The discussion therefore becomes, a two-part discussion: (1) how do Christian parents protect their kids in the electronic world and (2) how do Christian parents teach their kids responsibility in the electronic world. Worded another way: (1) parent practices & (2) kid practices.
This is a huge discussion. Both parts of this conversation can be further broken down; for example, when talking about how Christian parents protect their kids, we can talk about: (1) what electronic devices to give them & when, (2) what parental controls exist on different devices, (3) subscription services that help protect kids, (4) what apps & games to let them access when, (5) where parents let them take their electronics, etc.… This is nowhere near an exhaustive list even just on the side of parents’ direct role in their kid's electronic lives. So, like I said this is a huge conversation. But I think it is conversation that must happen. This is going to be a multipart blog series, so I hope that you will circle back and dive into this issue with me.
I spend a lot of time with teenagers. I love working with them, it is an amazing job. But I watch every week as some of my best students do things that I know are not healthy long-term in their electronic world. Even really, good kids are going to make electronic mistakes. We all made them as kids and still do. But we must acknowledge that electronic mistakes are different and have a different impact than the mistakes we made growing up. I hope this is positive and helpful series.
