After a long week, I plugged in my phone and got ready to end my week. I quickly looked at the settings and found my dashboard, which showed how many hours I had been on the phone that week. I was shocked to find out it was on for two to three hours a day. While that may not sound like a lot, it was way more than it should have been. Unfortunately, kids are on their phones double or even triple that amount each week. Not only do they scroll through social media, but they also take in so much information from celebrities who post reels, covering everything from hair care to the Bible.
I talked to my daughter about her phone usage one day. She told me that it was difficult for her to navigate through all the influencers who are giving false information about biblical passages. She said that, on average, she can see at least five videos from five different influencers about the same passage, and they all say something completely different. She said most of them are entirely devoid of any study or commentary on the issue.
Kids today not only have to combat social media influencers who are giving them the wrong information, but also spend their time binge-watching their favorite shows on streaming apps and listening to their favorite playlists on Spotify. All this pop culture consumption can make following God difficult.
As grandparents, it may be challenging to know not only who to listen to and who to ignore, but also being familiar with the trending pop stars of this year. Artists not only emerge from selling the most downloads of their songs, but TikTok influencers can also skyrocket them to stardom. It is essential to teach your grandkids how to interact with pop culture healthily. Here are some ways to do that:
Be Informed
Even if you don’t know how to create a Spotify playlist or are not on social media, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be informed about who the up and coming pop stars are and what they sing about. This is important not only to know who your children and grandchildren are listening to, but also what kinds of messages they’re receiving through their music. Scroll through Apple Music or other streaming devices to find out what the most popular songs are every month. Play one or two songs and get to know the type of music that is currently trending.
Do the same with streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu. Check out what the top trending television shows and movies are each week. On the home page of your streaming app, you’ll see the top 10 trending shows and movies of the week. Take some time to watch one or two shows.
If you don’t have time for that, go to a movie or television review site like movieguide.org or pluggedin.org. These sites were created to help parents and grandparents choose wholesome, clean programming for their children. These sites contain reviews from Christians who let others know what types of messages are being communicated. They also tell them the amount of foul language, sexual content, violence, and other miscellaneous moral themes. Take your time to do your research and help your child navigate the murky waters of pop culture.
Steer Them in the Right Direction
Instead of discouraging them from interacting with pop culture altogether, find good role models who they can emulate. For example, you can encourage them to follow and watch television shows, movies, and other content from stars like Candace Cameron Bure, Carrie Underwood, and others who are vocal about their faith. Some Christians choose to produce content that is overtly Christian. Others, however, opt for clean, family-friendly, wholesome material. However, they are not considered Christian artists, despite their faith. For example, you can laugh along to clean comics from Nate Bargatze or Leanne Morgan.
Take them to a concert with Brandon Lake or their favorite worship band. Even if Christian artists aren’t perfect like we wish they were, it is still better than having them subject themselves to the morally baseless content available to them today.
Set Limits
No matter how much you want your child or grandchild to be independent and make decisions for themselves, there may be times when you must set limits. Set boundaries as to what you will and will not allow in your home. For example, you may not want your teenager watching anything rated higher than TV-14. Set that boundary and set your parental controls on your streaming apps and phone so that the children can obey these rules. With so much access to entertainment, it’s easy for kids to sneak in material they shouldn’t be consuming. Set boundaries and limits, and know what your child is doing, including the music they’re listening to and the television shows they’re watching.
Kids today spend way more time consuming pop culture than they do the Word of God. Instead of ignoring the problem or simply giving them full access to whatever’s available, set limits, steer them toward wholesome Christian content, and stay informed about what your child is actually consuming. Help them make healthy decisions so they can grow up to be well-adjusted, God-fearing adults.
Author Info
Michelle Lazurek
Michelle S. Lazurek is a multi-genre award-winning author, speaker, pastor’s wife and mother. She is a literary agent for Wordwise Media Services and a certified writing coach. Her new book Hall of Faith helps kids trust God. For more info, please visit her website: http://www.michellelazurek.com