This past Sunday, pastor Daniel Montgomery mentioned a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation on the online lives of children and teenagers.  Kids are online a lot!  The new SweetHearts candies for this past Valentine’s Day are a small evidence of the influence media is having on culture.

I know that many of you are fasting from television or social media during the season of Lent.   The Kaiser study and other resources I have listed here provide some food for thought while you’re fasting from Facebook:

• If you haven’t yet read it I encourage you to read the report and glance at the slideshow the folks at KFF have posted online.  Pretty amazing statistics!
• Walt Mueller  has developed a helpful tool that teaches kids to think Christianly and critically about all the media they consume.  It’s called, How to Use Your Head to Guard Your Heart: A 3(D)Guide to Making Responsible Media Choices.  The material teaches young people to filter their media choices through three conscious steps:  (1) Discover, (2) Discern based on Biblical Principles, and (3) Decide based on value and conscience.  Access a free Leader’s Guide for this tool here.
• You can also read the New York Times article, “If Your Kids Are Awake, They’re Probably Online.”
• And take a look at Dr. Al Mohler’s reflections on the study.

HT: Doug Wolter