This week an internet challenge has been discussed frequently in children’s ministry forums and has even made the local news in many markets. People are posting images and referencing the challenge which helps promote it and make it more widely known and may cause children to seek it out. I am not going to mention the name associated with the challenge because I do not want to inadvertently encourage children, or others, to search it out. Admittedly if I put the name of this challenge in the title of this post, it would help generate numerous visits.
What I do want to share is simply that we need to be careful what we allow our children to see, and where we allow them to go, especially online.
There are many online games now that allow participants to communicate with one another. It reminds me of decades ago when the internet was young and AOL (America On-Line) was a dominant force as they made the internet accessible to the average user. A key gateway were chatrooms which could be beneficial, but also very dangerous. This has evolved into Facebook and other social media outlets. Sadly, I find many parents seem to ignore the basic safeguards put in place to protect their children.
Whenever I reference Facebook in a group of elementary aged children, inevitably one of the children will speak up and say, “I have a Facebook account!” For an elementary aged child to have a Facebook account, or other social media account, the parent must encourage the child to lie. You must be 13 to join a social media channel and elementary aged children are not that old yet.
We would not let our children enter an area unknown to us and encourage them to talk to people they do not know in person, yet many willfully open that door online. When your child leaves your home you will ask them where they are going, yet many allow their children to leave their presence and they do not know where they go online. They do not know what their children are seeing, who they are interacting with, or what messages they are receiving when they go online. And now with 24 hour access via smart phones, that destructive path is easier to find and harder to exit.
Adults even fall into this as they click on seemingly innocent challenges, or surveys, which collect information and make them more vulnerable.
Today’s world is out to lead children astray. There are bad things out there and we need to check what we allow our children to see.
Do you realize that as I prepare various items to teach children that I view every second of any video, or song, that I may use. If a video, or song, has even the smallest amount of inappropriate, or questionable, content, then I will not use it. Yes, even a s small 5 second segment of a 5 minute clip will keep me from using any of it. I encourage you to preview what your children are viewing.
As you help your child navigate the world around us, be aware of how the world is trying to capture our children. Use parental controls on devices, ask your child “where they are going”. Don’t let them wander aimlessly, give them direction.
Some items have a parental advisory on them for content. The world today has that same advisory (and always has). We need to be vigilant to protect the children.
So what can parents do?
- Make sure that your child knows that they can come to you and talk about anything.
- Tell your child that if anyone says “don’t tell your parents” that it is a “red flag” and they should run from it.
- Teach your children right from wrong
- Know your child, their interests, their friends, and the games they play
- Teach them the things of God
Basically, be involved in your child’s life. Be an example. It may not always be easy, but keeping the lines of communication is key.
As adults, some may see no harm in watching scary/horror movies; however, our children are not prepared for this exposure. Society seems to introduce these things to people at younger ages which causes harm in the long run.
1 John 4:1-6 tells us to test the spirits to see if they are from God or not. As adults we need to know how to test the spirits so that we can teach our children. Be on the look out for a wolf in sheep’s clothing, for the spirits that are seeking to destroy.
Your child will make mistakes. They may head done the wrong path. They will make bad decisions (we all do at times). Do your best to keep communication open. Be there for them. Guide them. It is well worth the effort.
