Teens and Friends
Restarting Worth Your Time!
Hi everyone! I didn't intend to take a break from sending the Worth Your Time emails, but life became consumed with traveling to schools and other responsibilities throughout the winter and spring. They're now back and will begin showing up in your email each Friday. I hope you're all doing well as summer approaches!
Worth Your Time!
Resource Recommendations to Help You Parent and Mentor Most Effectively
This Week's Recommendation:
Protect Young Eyes Instagram Post
See It Here
Why It Matters
School is almost out for summer vacation! While that usually brings great rejoicing, all the extra free time also brings challenges for teens and preteens. This Instagram post from Protect Young Minds is an important reminder for parents: despite parents' best efforts in their own homes with their own rules, "Our children are only as safe as their friend with the weakest digital rules."
Teens can use phones and social media in many negative ways: ordering drugs, sending/receiving/sharing nudes, bullying, engaging in inappropriate texting and group chats, etc. These things happen in Christian schools as well as public schools - I've encountered all of them. Even "good kids" can get caught up in any of these things when they're with friends, especially over the summer.
How to Use it
Read the full post, not just the quote in the photo.
Read the comments for ideas on how to prepare youth as well as for encouragement if your child has already been negatively impacted by friends' phone use.
Remember your own youth. Did you ever make a bad choice and do something stupid with one or more friends that you wouldn't have done on your own? Today's teens still do that.
Remember that the consequences in 2024 are potentially much greater than they were in your youth. As the author writes, "Growing up in the 1980s, it took effort... if I was going to do something to ruin my life. But today it's different. The distance between our children and life-altering choices is more narrow than it was for us. That chasm that existed between me and harm during my childhood is now often just the distance of a thumb tap for our children."
The author writes, "What specific things have you done to prepare your kids for digital risk that might come from their friends?" If you haven't done anything yet, consider what you could do before summer vacation begins.
As the author recommends, pray Psalm 119:37 over specific youth in your life.
Watch It Here