According to a recent national survey, more than eight out of ten teenagers own cell phones or smartphones. The study revealed that 50% of all tweens get their mobile phones by age 11. Because this device is so addictive for children, not to mention adults, life can revolve around it. Perhaps you’ve talked to the eleven-year-old boy, who talks nonstop about the latest level of the game he’s playing, or the monsters who fascinate yet fill him with horror at the same time. Without much effort, life soon devolves to time around a small square box instead of baseball and fishing. In my own “survey” of parents I often ask, “What do your kids like to do?” I frequently get the answer, “Video games.”
What’s the problem you might ask? The short answer is it’s an addiction that can lead to exploitation.
In the last two years, predators have intensified their attacks against teens and children who have an online presence. Brad Huddleston, who has done extensive research in this field, says parents don’t take this seriously, particularly for their own children. The front cover of his book Digital Cocaine pictures a teenager snorting through a straw pointed down towards a cell phone. Any parent knows what this picture means in their own world. The phone can be more inviting than the dinner bell, life skills, regular conversations, and many other important activities.
Today’s generations are living as the world’s guinea pigs. What happens when you turn a child loose with a tablet, computer, or cell phone? We don’t really know for the long term, but in the short term a number of adverse effects are reported. Here are a few:
- Weakens the bond between parent and child
- Weakens social skills
- Health issues: less active and sleep issues, both of which can lead to obesity
- Unintentionally stumbling across or deliberately viewing pornography, which can lead to an addiction for developing, impressionable youth
There is hope, but we have to educate ourselves and our children. Fortunately, there are some good resources to help. Please take the time to check them out.
Shared Hope has worked on a series to help parents, teachers, and teenagers with online safety. Please head over to Shared Hope and take a look at this wonderful resource and training on Internet safety, a good place to start.
Another great resource is provided through NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, on their Missing Kids webpage.
“These differentiated video series present digital safety lessons in a fun and age-appropriate manner. Younger audiences learn with Nettie, Webster, and Clicky, the internet safety robot, while tweens engage with the animated cast of NS High. For teens, real-life stories and interviews with teenagers across the country provide the basis for real-world learning.”
The website Thorn tells parents to “be your kids safety net.” Check out their website to find out how.
These resources can give you and the children/teens in your life a start in learning how to stay safe. We will be posting more on this topic going forward.