This post was written by Derek Duvall the FBC Middle School Pastor.
I love technology. Actually before I came to Bible College in Tennessee, I went to a school in Indiana for Electrical Engineering Technology, with the hopes of one day becoming the guy you might see on the Today Show on NBC, showing all of the latest gadgets for the year. But with technology comes dangers, and Satan desires to use anything he can for evil, we see this all throughout Scripture. And that is why the need to not only educate yourselves on the dangers of new technology, but also equip your youth to handle them in a mature, Christ-like manner is so important.
One technological advance I believe Satan is really using right now is the cell phone. It has great conveniences, for example it allows parents to contact their youth at anytime, but it also comes with great dangers. Youth are able to make private phone calls, send text messages, picture messages, download music and games and now some can access the internet from their phones. This necessitates the same amount of parental monitoring, as a home computer.
It is not only the internet that opens up doors to content that you should attempt to protect your youth from; text messaging and picture messaging have also become a great danger. According to a report by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, “20% of teens have sent nude or semi-nude photos of themselves to someone else, and 39% have sent sexually suggestive message.” Also, a Girl Scouts survey in 2002 revealed “54% of teen girls thought they could have an ongoing, online relationship without their parents finding out.” If this percentage of teenage girls believe they can have an ongoing, online relationship without their parents discovering it, chances are, they think they can get away with sexually explicit text or picture messages.
This is not something that is just happening in the high schools; this is happening in our local middle schools as well. I was talking to a parent recently about this topic and the parent was informing me of the alarming number of middle school students who they have overheard in one way or another, talking about what is being called, “sexting.” Even if you believe your youth is one who would never send an explicit text or picture message, there is still a good chance they could receive one from someone else, even when unsolicited.
There are some conveniences to your youth having a cell phone, but with it also come many dangers. As a parent, you must protect them and train them up in the way they should go Proverbs 22:6. You must be diligent about teaching your youth the Word of God, in every opportunity Deuteronomy 6:7.
Some easy and practical things that can be done to protect your youth who have cell phones:
- Check the bill from your provider; it lists each number of sent and received calls and messages. You can then use this to monitor who your youth is sending/receiving calls and messages from – Parents, don’t be naïve, youth know how to delete information from their phones, if you check them – look at the monthly statement.
- Many cell phone companies also provide means in which you can limit or remove certain features. Give them a call a see how they can help you in protecting your teen.
- It is my thinking that there is NO reason for a teenage child to have picture messaging, I am not able to think of one reason to allow for the temptation to be allowed, but also it provides protection for your youth, in that if picture messaging is turned off it does not allow for them to receive an inappropriate picture message.
If you are considering buying your youth a cell phone, remember that you have been given this child to shepherd and lead. You don’t HAVE to give into the peer pressure and culture that surrounds you and your child. Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Don’t let the culture shape the decisions you make, but God’s Word!
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