Taking every thought captive for obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10.5)

Vision
Outcomes: The Latest Addiction
Evidence continues to mount that allowing children to interact on social media may not be in their best interest.

According to Matthew Hennessey, in an editorial in the September 6, 2016 issue of City Journal, social media has become the latest addiction for young people, bringing temporary euphoria but long-term depression, and fostering anxiety and low self-esteem (“Back to School, Still Offline”).

Mr. Hennessey cites research which indicates that using social media affects the decision-making part of the brain similarly to the way drugs do, making users more impulsive and less thoughtful, and prompting one specialist to refer to social media as “digital heroin.” Mr. Hennessey describes the addiction to social media as “the new disease of digital depression”.

He reports, “Researchers have linked social-media use with a host of typical teenage woes, including low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. The pressure of responding to texts and instant messages causes sleeplessness in teens. It’s hard to ace an exam when you’ve been up all night staring at a screen, wondering why your friends aren’t writing you back.”

Young people consider social media as a primary source of self-esteem. They are eager to be known and liked by all the right people, and social media provides a means of continually monitoring and seeking to improve their status. As one 15-year-old told CNN, “People feel that when they get a lot of likes it means that they’re pretty and popular, and that makes them feel better.” Social media has become a kind of Skinner bar that children continuously resort to in order to feel good about themselves. Kids have a hard enough time taking their studies seriously, Mr. Hennessey observes. The stress and uncertainty provoked by social media, together with the time involved and the fleeting nature of what tend to be largely frivolous postings, do not help this problem.

Parents, Mr. Hennessey writes, should be looking for ways to relieve “the stress that kids suffer trying to keep up with the likes, shares, and faves of their friends.” Instead, too many parents add to the problem by indulging their own addiction to social media. Mr. Hennessey does not allow his children to use social media, even though he knows he’s only postponing the inevitable. Better to keep them in the “digital dark” than to allow them to become snow-blinded by social media. He explains, “Parents of public school students have told me that the pressure to look good on social media—especially for girls—is brutal. Is there anyone who thinks that this is good for kids? I’d rather eat nails than put my daughter through it.”He hopes that, by keeping his children from using social media before they know how to do so responsibly, he might be saving them from a life of addiction.

It’s not hard to see how this fixation with social media derives from and feeds into the growing narcissism of our age. With me and my world at my fingertips, to improve or admire as I choose, who cares what’s going on with other people in other places?

Christians should reflect carefully on their use of social media. Why am I on Facebook? How does being on Facebook or Snapchat or Twitter help me to fulfill my calling to the Kingdom and glory of God? Are these integral resources to help me in working my Personal Mission Field, or are they simply feel-good avenues of expression and reward for all things funny, fleeting, and frivolous?

No, I don’t use social media. I don’t have the time for it, in the first place, and I see no way being on social media could improve my walk with and work for the Lord. Quite the contrary, in fact.

You may have unlocked the secrets of using social media for Christ and His Kingdom, and of teaching your children to do the same. Fair enough. I don’t disparage the Internet or social media as such, only the abuse of these good gifts, the diversion of real interest from others to self, and the false sense of self-importance they either grant or withhold.

We should carefully consider Matthew Hennessey’s view of the dangers of social media where children are involved, and make sure all our use of these and other good gifts are in line with the Kingdom purposes of our Lord.

For reflection
1.      The Internet is not evil. Social media is not inherently evil. Then why are these potentially good gifts so often put to evil or detrimental uses? Is there a Christian response to that problem?

2.      What would you suggest as “Kingdom guidelines” for using social media?

3.      What kinds of things can we not do for Christ and His Kingdom when we’re spending our time on social media instead?

Next steps – Conversation: Talk with some Christian friends about their use – or not – of social media. How do they see this as fitting into their calling to the Kingdom and glory of God?

T. M. Moore

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At The Fellowship
Have you identified your Personal Mission Field? Are you beginning to work it as a citizen and ambassador of the Kingdom of God? Watch the brief video at this link, then download the worksheet and get started working your Personal Mission Field today. Check out our new Mission Partners Outreach by watching this brief video.

ReVision: This week’s ReVision is part one of a series on The Parameters of Prayer. Let’s face it: We don’t pray as much as we should, and we don’t seem too troubled by that fact. Download the free PDF of this week’s series, The Promise of Prayer, and begin making prayer a more vital part of your walk with and work for the Lord.

Crosfigell: This week in our Crosfigell columnwe have encouraged readers to take up the discipline of meditation, in order to grow in their vision of and relationship with the Lord. And we’ve seen that not even the devil can keep us from serving the Lord boldly – so let’s press on in doing so!

Scriptorium: Paul’s trial before regional Roman authorities continues, but it soon becomes unclear that someone other than Paul is actually on trial. Be sure to follow each day’s study in the book of Acts.

In the Gates: In our Saturday column we continue looking at what is involved in setting the Law of God firmly in our souls. We’re looking at the role of the conscience in that effort in this part of our series on “The Rule of Law.”

Voices Together: John Nunnikhoven’s daily meditations can help you in the practical work of prayer and obedience.

In the Bookstore: Order a copy of The Poetry of Prayer from our bookstoreto go along with our new ReVision series of studies on prayer.

Videos: Finally, check out the state of your Christian worldview by watching the video and downloading the Personal Discipleship Inventory, a tool for evaluating your worldview and growing in Kingdom vision, disciplines, and outcomes.

Forward this copy of The Week to some friends, and encourage them to visit the website to sign up for our instructional newsletters.