7 Days to Dethrone Social Media in Your Children’s LivesSample

Foster Discernment

Discernment is, put simply, how to judge well in a situation. If discernment is our ability to judge well in a given situation, discernment has a lot to do with understanding reality, and seeing what is fact versus what is fiction. The line between what is true and what is false has, perhaps, never been blurrier and more difficult to discern. The reason the line between reality and fantasy is difficult to discern is because we have an intimate relationship with a technology that thrives on making us feel good at the cost of knowing what is good and true. Your child has almost certainly fallen victim to some kind of dis- or misinformation online, whether you know it or not.

How can we help our children foster discernment as they spend so much time on the internet?

1) Point to the ministry of Jesus.

If we have any hope of fostering discernment among the people we lead and love, we must point to Jesus, His ministry, and the centrality of truth in the Christian life. If we can’t do this, nothing else will matter. Jesus Christ is the Word of God become flesh. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Then, shortly after that, verses 17 and 18 say, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

2) Encourage reading widely.

The more time one spends online mindlessly scrolling social media the more likely they are to lose their minds. One of the more difficult practical tasks you will face as a spiritual leader in the battle for your loved ones’ minds is figuring out how to lead them to spend their time instead of spending it on social media. This is where you really do have to lead by example as a parent. You’re going to have a hard time convincing your children to put down their phones and tablets to read if all they see you doing every night is scrolling and tapping rather than turning and bookmarking.