Teens & Technology
By Head of School Michael Dewey
Junior students conclude each year with EQ #15, which asks the following question: How does the Christian worldview inform and guide our use of technology and social media? Having taught last’s year’s Christian Ethics class, I was able to lead students in several discussions about how their faith impacts their use of technology, as well as how technology impacts their faith (for both good and bad). At the beginning of one of these discussions, I asked students to raise their hands if they felt like they were addicted to their smart phones. I expected that not many would be bold enough—or honest enough with themselves—to actually raise their hands. Boy, was I surprised! Without hesitation, every single student at once raised their hands. What this tells me is that our students know that they have a problem when it comes to technology. More importantly, it tells all of us that we need to step up and help them.
You are likely familiar with studies on how technology, and social media in particular, can negatively affect the mental health of our children. I highly recommend Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 New York Times bestseller The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, if you haven’t already read it. Not only is it filled with data to support the correlation between technology usage and depression, anxiety, and self-harm, but it provides parents with specific ways to help children lead healthier lives. You don’t have to be a technological Luddite to stem this tide, but you do need to proactively take steps to ensure that technology does not rule our lives or ruin our faith. At the end of the course last year, I challenged each student to develop a practical plan for better utilizing technology in their life. If you have never had this kind of conversation with your child, do it soon. In fact, if you’ve never created such a plan for yourself, you should.
Here are a few suggestions:
-Commit to not checking a phone or computer upon waking up. Begin with a goal of 30 minutes, then 60, then no checking the phone until school or work is over. This is a hard one, so the progression is key. Once you carry out the minimal habit of 30 minutes for a period of time, it becomes easier to strive for the next highest level.
-Commit to turning off phones and computers at least an hour before bed. No child (or adult) should be sleeping with their phone.
-No phones at meals.
-Challenge your family to a tech-free day at least once a week.
-The best way to start all of this is by committing to a phone fast, or a “phast” as it has come to be known.
If the idea of any of these changes makes you or your child anxious, then more than likely there is an addiction to technology.
I want to recommend the following online resources to help. The first is a video link that discusses smart phone addiction and how to overcome it. The psychologist that produced the video is not a Christian, so while it does not reflect the Christian worldview, it is eye opening and engaging. The second link is to Clare Morrell’s web page at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington D. C. Clare is a Christian who has tons of articles, videos, and even a book, all geared toward how technology can be harmful to our children. I would encourage you to check out both links below and how you can help your teen, as well as yourself, use technology responsibly—as a follower of Jesus.
Link: Social Media Addiction: The Story and Solutions | Dr. Christian Heim
Link: Clare Morell’s Resources on Children and Technology
For our part, we have committed to better monitoring and protecting our students' use of technology while on campus, and we have implemented new rules regarding cell phones on campus. As a school whose mission is to partner with Christian families, if we work together, we can help our young women and men flourish both spiritually and physically.