Sir Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge is power.” I prefer “applied knowledge is power,” but regardless, the more we know, the better chance we have of guiding teens through their use of the Internet. We tend to condemn the Internet as a tool of the devil when we hear stories about online predators and identity theft, but we don’t seem to mind having 24-7 access to previous episodes of “Lost,” or real time updates on the NBA Finals.
So, how can we help steer kids through an Internet that offers them the same benefits…and liabilities?
- Bring the 41% of you, the parent, who don’t know what their kids are doing online up to speed. Scratch that. Inform 100% of you…just to make sure! When the dark practices of kids’ Internet usage is brought to light, many parents want to blame the Internet instead of conversing with their kids about it. I encourage you to have MULTIPLE conversations with your children about their Internet usage. One “talk” is just not good enough!
- Share with your kids your own strategies for staying pure and safe while online. No, I’m not referring to your endorsement of spam-filters; I’m talking about the intentional steps you employ as a parent to make sure you don’t fall victim to online sin. (Keeping the computer out in the open...only going online when someone else is present…restricting the amount of time you spend online…etc.) Sharing this kind of “inside look” at your life with your children will have multiple positive effects on your kids!
- Make students aware of the consequences of ungodly actions while online. This isn’t a scare tactic! But, so many students divorce virtual life from real life, with little understanding of the connection between the two. From “seemingly” harmless activities like posting a sexy pic on their profile, or blogging inappropriately about a friend, many teens are simply naïve about the results of their actions, until they feel the pain associated with them. Like our grandmothers always said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
So much of a teenager’s life hinges on you the parent. All I want to do is bring you alongside of me so we together can transform students into a lifelong disciple of Christ. I hope this has given you some insight and some encouragement as well. If there is anything that I ever can do to help or partner with you with your student, know that I am just a phone call or email away.
