In my small town only about 50% of the students have home computers with internet. But this last school year our school purchased Ipads for all the students (7th-12th grade). For many of them they had unrestricted internet access for the first time. The school didn't put any restrictions on the Ipads. The students had a portable means of accessing the internet anytime they wanted it. The Youth Ministry Media article points out that 56% of teens say their parents don't know what they do online. There are two big temptations for students that have unrestricted access to the internet: Pornography and chatting with strangers.
Pornography
According to CovenantEyes, 1 out of 5 mobile searches are for pornography. 24% of smartphone owners admit to having pornographic material on the mobile handset. Porn revenue has declined by 50% since 2007, due to the amount of free porn online. These stats show that teens who have internet access have very easy access to free porn. And with the portability with an Ipad I would have to say it is a pretty good chance that some if not many of the students viewed or downloaded porn with them. Adding to this statistic is the fact that many teenagers now have laptops and smartphones, which puts access at their fingertips. I believe pornography is a serious problem in many youth groups.
Stranger Danger
As the Youth Ministry Media article points out 32% of girls and 24% of boys have chatted with strangers online. These are dangerous relationships. One way we can protect our students is to make sure they know that it isn't a popularity contest. "Friending" random people on Instagram and Facebook is letting them into your life. What most students do not realize is how easy it is for someone to lie on the internet.
"One way we can [protect students] is to talk about who they friend online, and how it's not a popularity contest." - Youth Ministry MediaWhat Can We Do Now?
Ask the difficult questions. From time to time ask the students what they are doing online. It might take some time but hopefully eventually you will get the truth. The students need accountability. Who knows next time they log on they might just think, "My youth guy is gonna ask me what I'm doing" and they might be safe online. It also shows that you care about what they are up to. Do not be afraid to talk about pornography. It is a real threat. Encourage parents to download web filters on all their home computers. A program that I use and that we use at our church is K9 Web Protection. It is free and you can restrict it as much as you want, from pornography to websites about drugs/alcohol and everything in between. Changing Google and Youtube search options to strict may eliminate many unwanted results.
Please note that Pornography is not just a problem for teens. Many adults struggle with porn as well.
Around here, while yes, pornography and chatting with strangers are of course something that happens, this doesn't happen nearly as often as other abuses of internet. The biggest abuse we've noticed with teens here - sexting.
ReplyDeleteSexting is sending sexually explicit messages and/or photos (of oneself) to others. In a way, yes, this is pornography - however, there is a much stronger danger in this. Sexting usually involves a boyfriend/girlfriend (although, may have been strangers who met over the internet). And it is usually done using programs we all allow on our home computers, iPads, etc: Skype, instagram and facebook are just a few of these. Standard text messaging on phones and iPods are also commonly used.
In other words - don't just make sure your teen is avoiding pornography sites. Make sure they're using social networking sites and their text messaging responsibly.
I agree 100%. It is another serious problem. Anytime I see the app SnapChat on an Ipad I get nervous because it is very easy for picture sexting. Great suggestion!
ReplyDeleteI was one of the teens who read sexually explicit material and nearly went into porn. Praise God for delivering me from it.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would like to point out is that, while it is a good idea to have filters and stuff to protect teens from such material, in the end it depends on the teen's free will. If a teen wants to get access to porn, he or she will find ways around filters and restrictions. "When there is a will, there is a way."
From my point of view, the best thing a parent, a mentor, or a leader can do for your teen is to not hide things. I am not saying that you show them porn. What I am saying is that you take the time to explain exactly why porn is wrong and why it displeases God.
Build your teen's character and morals on the Bible, and he or she won't easily give in to such temptation, filter or no filter.
Just my thoughts.
This is an interesting topic for me. I am very open about my work with Christ. And like God does in the bible, he not only reveals his heroes accomplishments, he reveals there weakness. This is difficult topic, but confession is good for the soul. I agree that porn is a HUGE problem. I've been struggling with porn since I was a teen and I will admit, this started as a curious teen. Currently, I still have thoughts dealing with porn that I battle often.
ReplyDeleteThe remedy:
I quote 1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
This verse literally keeps me from all sorts of temptation and sin.
While not falling into that temptation,and quoting that verse I just imagine seeing Jesus smile.
Maybe thats a placebo, but it works a lot for me. I often think about how Satan tempt Jesus in the wilderness and Jesus was able to defeat him with the Word alone.
I hope that helps anyone that's struggling and trying to stop their sin. It helps.
I truly believe that scripture is our strongest weapon against temptation, and having a life verse is a great way to combat satan. Awesome idea! Thanks!!
ReplyDelete