Keeping Our Children Safe Online
Email 1
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The stats say it all. 90% of children are online by 3rd grade. We live in a digital age. I mean for goodness sake, you are reading this online parenting class while connected to the Internet. The Internet is neutral, neither good or bad. However, just like real life, there can be some negative consequences if we don’t use it wisely. Never is this more true than with our kids.
If the average age of exposure to pornography is age 8, how do we protect our children from the potential negative repercussions of being connected to the world wide web? We’re going to tackle this tough subject this month. How do we keep our children safe online?
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/118525493/b901c932a4
You’re the guardian of your child’s heart, and we want to help you keep that pure by putting some boundaries on the use of your child’s mobile devices. Stay tuned for the second installment of “Keeping Our Children Safe Online.”
Partnering with you,
Children’s Pastor
Email 2
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Subject line: On-Line Safety for our Children-Part 2Parents,
Most of our kids have a level of online proficiency that can is bewildering to us. This electronic prowess can be extremely helpful, and it can be extremely damaging. We learned in our first installment of this month’s online parenting class that we are the guardians of our children’s hearts, and if we want those hearts to remain pure, we MUST put boundaries around our child’s use of the Internet.
Before Paul tells us about the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, he first helps us understand that the Holy Spirit stands in stark contrast to our selfish desires. Paul says in Galatians 5:16-17:
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
We want our children to be led by God and not by their flesh (selfish desires), so our role is to set boundaries in place that will help them to that end. Here are some tangible ways to begin setting boundaries that will lead children to online safety.
- All laptops and desktops are to be used in public places. They don’t go in bedrooms.
- Remove search engine (safari, yahoo, google) apps from your child’s mobile device. If they need to look something up, they use a public laptop.
- Tell your child, if they delete the history on a device, it gets taken away. Then check your child’s history repeatedly (at least once a week) so you know what your child is looking at online.
- Set restrictions on your child’s device (look for this month’s extra resource for more info on this).
- Use a content filter (look for this month’s extra resource for more info on this)
There are many ways to set your child up for online success, and this list provides just a few ways to do that. We have an extra resource available to you this month called “Everything you need to know to safeguard your kid online.” If you feel like you could use some extra guidance in that area, we’re excited to share it with you!
Partnering with you,
Children’s Pastor
Video Script
Parenting has always been hard, but parenting in the digital age where we are all connected brings a whole different level of challenge. For the first time in history the world is as close as our kids’ iPod touch, thanks to the internet. This month’s online parenting class is one every parent in America needs because this month we are going to process how we can keep our kids safe online. We’re not just talking about the computer anymore. Online safety reaches all the way from the laptop kids can take to their rooms, to the Nintendo DS, Playstation, Xbox, and tablet they have to occupy their time when you travel. You can’t hide from the online threats that are out there facing your family even if they come through the online access your kids’ friends have.
There is a tendency for us as parents to see a threat and then try to shield our children from harm or shut it out of their lives. The problem with protecting your kids online and shutting that threat out is that our lives are intertwined with it. Our internet bill at home is just as critical as our water bill…we use it all the time. Our children need it in almost every aspect of their education, even if you homeschool. Protecting your child online means that you choose to guide them toward healthy use of the internet and you have to guide them.
Right now let’s start with why protecting your child online matters. I know Jesus did not face this issue, but he reveals a principle that can help us with this issue. What we see, hear, and experience shapes how we think and the choices we make, and the internet is a primary path of learning for us now. Even as adults when we have a problem we run to YouTube for help videos. What kids see online shapes their hearts and here is what Jesus had to say about the heart. This passage is a little intense, but I want to share it with you. Jesus knew we had to guard our hearts, and He told His followers…
Matthew 15:18-19 (NLT)
18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.
19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.
That’s intense, but let’s connect the dots here. If bad things can flow from the heart then good things can also flow from the heart. Jesus taught that before we choose a bad action, that bad action brews in our heart first. The choices we make are shaped by what our heart has been shaped by. If we could just sit down and have coffee with Jesus I know he would push us as parents to make sure we protect what our kids’ hearts are exposed to because that is going to shape the choices they make. The pressure comes in the reality that you are the guardian of your child’s heart.
This week your job is to ask yourself this simple question. What steps are you taking to protect your child online? This month we will follow up with some practical advice on how to make that happen. Some of you might ask what am I protecting them from. Well, WebMD has already helped us some here. Recently they shared 4 big potential online threats to all our kids. These threats were
- Cyberbullying – so many times our kids are being bullied behind a screen and sometimes our kids are the bullies!
- Sexual Predators- people who would like nothing more than to harm our kids have access to our kids when we don’t help protect them online.
- Pornography- We always think this will impact some other kid, but it’s a threat to every child! The typical child with no online guidance is experiencing pornography by the age of 8.
- Damaged reputations- We have to help them THINK BEFORE they post. Once it’s on the web it’s freely accessible. Kids with no guidance share things they should not share.
We know this topic is difficult but we believe you are called to help guide your kids to healthy online lives. In the coming weeks look for part 2 of our online parenting class with some practical tips of what to do next!
Weekly tweets from you to parents:
TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell twitter to store a list of your tweets in one place for later reference.
TWEET #1- Protecting your child online means that you choose to guide them toward healthy use of the Internet. #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #2-Begin the process of discussing online safety with your child as soon as they start using the Internet. #startearly #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #3-Your child’s first line of defense when it comes to online safety is YOU! #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #4-When it comes to online safety, you are the guardian of your child’s heart. #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #5-Good piece of online advice, if you wouldn’t do it face to face, don’t do it online. #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #6- Galatians 5:16, Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #7-Dave King, CEO of Digitalis says of allowing children on the Internet, “Never, under any circumstances browse unaccompanied.” #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #8-1 in 8 online searches is for erotic content. Know what your child is looking at online. #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #9-79% of youth’s unwanted exposure to pornography takes place in the home, safeguard your home. #urchurchparentministry
TWEET #10-Most people don’t really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened by responsibility.#urchurchparentministry