Raising Children in a Digital World

We have a 17-year-old and a 12-year-old now. Wow! How has the time flown by? That’s how it works, right?

It’s hard to parent kids with internet and devices in the home. We want our kids to learn boundaries regarding internet use at home, while they’re young, for their own mental and spiritual health. However, it’s hard to navigate all the things.

Educating ourselves about the dangers of kids being online and educating ourselves about new platforms, sites and games is also important. Constantly staying on top of things is how we keep our kids safe online. The digital world isn’t going anywhere and we, as parents and guardians, must help our kids safely navigate this space.

I follow a Facebook page called Defend Young Minds and appreciate their content. On Jan. 10, 2025, they shared a recent statistic: “A new 2024 survey from Pew Research Center¹ reveals that nearly half of U.S. teens — ages 13–17 — report being online almost constantly, with platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat dominating their screen time.”

YouTube

In the research report mentioned above, YouTube was the top site used by teens. That’s not a surprise in our home. YouTube has been harder to control in our home for our tween boy. We do have parent controls turned on and he accesses YouTube with my personal tablet and account so we can see all the watched videos. That’s been important.

Time limits have always been a struggle in our home. Currently, he can go on YouTube if he’s caught up at school and hasn’t been in trouble. There are days that it’s hard to be consistent, though. We’ve also started encouraging learning things like coding, programming, animation and video editing.

Social Media

Based on all the research, we have delayed social media accounts in our home for our kids. It hasn’t been easy, especially with a teen girl. She just turned 17 in December 2024 and we finally let her get Instagram.

That was a hard choice. The research is very clear on the effect it has on self-worth and mental health, especially in girls. The surgeon general in 2024 called for social media to have warning labels. So, my daughter’s account must be private and of course, we’re friends with her and can see what she posts to her stories and her feed.

Internet Access

When our tween boy got a new computer, we set up our internet and router in a way that turns off the internet between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. We also set up a strict filter to not allow for searching of inappropriate terms, and it works! YouTube videos helped us set this up. (There are many great things you can learn on YouTube; over Christmas break, my son taught himself animation and was so proud.) Online boundaries and filters are non-negotiable in our home.

Modeling Good Online Boundaries

If we want our kids to use the internet and social media sites in a healthy way, then we too must do this. We need to model the balance between the digital world and real-life interactions. Also, we need to have honest conversations about what they’re seeing, watching and playing online, as well as what we’re seeing, watching and playing. Is it “junk food” for our brain or are we learning something? Our kids are smart — they know when something is uplifting or whether it’s just brain rot — that’s the term we use at home. Model healthy digital choices for your kids.

Online Safety

We also talk about mean behaviors and bullying online — it’s real and quite prevalent. We talk a lot about privacy and security — there are bad people out there who are targeting our kids online. We need them to be aware. Always.

As parents, we have to check in regularly with them and see what they’re doing online. Teach them over and over again about protecting their personal information online. It’s okay to be a broken record about this.

Parents, we are battling this with you. Now is the time to teach our kids about the online world, help them establish boundaries and check in with them regularly. Let’s pray for each other as we parent our kids in this digital age.

“Lord, help us as parents to be wise about our kids navigating the online digital world. Give us discernment, patience and kindness when dealing with our kids. It’s hard to parent kids, but we claim the promise that we can do all things with your son Jesus because He gives us the strength. Thank you for loving our children and wanting what’s best for them. Fill us with your love so that whenever we interact with our kids about online guidelines and safety, we can pour that Love into their hearts. And when our answer to their desires is no, please help them take that no knowing we are doing it in love. In Jesus' name, Amen.”

Source: