Does Your Teen Own a Smartphone?

I am surprised, shocked, disappointed, and alarmed how many parents flippantly buy a smartphone for their teens (or even children!).  Little do they know the evil that is available literally at the simple click of a button.

My mom was adamant with not allowing my teenage brother to have a smartphone when he first got a cell phone because any unsuspecting (or willfully rebellious) child or youth does not need access to the internet 24/7, let alone to be exposed to pornography or other destructive web sites which are so easily accessible simply because they are bored or curious.  All it takes to find pornography is the misspelling of a word or looking up certain acts or perverse words your kids may have heard about from others at school.

What started off as mere curiosity might turn into full-blown addiction or corruption as such which would make you shudder if you knew the impact it was having on your child or teen.

Please be smart with what you allow in your home; whether that be certain entertainment (like having cable channels which make viewing porn on the television set available to see as soon as it becomes ten pm - I know this from experience when I was a youth at a friend's house!) or allowing your kids to have a computer in their bedrooms.  As innocent as they might appear or as much as you might think pornography would never prey upon your child, please keep in mind there is such a thing as clearing the internet history every time they use the computer!

If you would like resources on how to address the topic of pornography and discuss this and other sexual sin with your child or adolescent, Covenant Eyes has great resources.  You might also like all the great articles on their web site.

Parents, it is worth fighting to maintain the purity of your children and youth.  Keep up the diligent work, continue having important life discussions with them about remaining pure and guarding their hearts and eyes from what is corrupting and will lead them astray from God, and even seek help from mentors or godly counselors at church.

This is a battle worth fighting!