Protecting Children from Media
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Let's face it: It's no secret that our culture largely shifted to negativity, dark themes in entertainment and attitudes about children and family in general. Children are a blessing to cherish -not a burden to bear. We must find ways to encourage Biblically positive perspectives instead of negative, dark thought themes. (Stacie has devoted years of study to this and is currently finishing her PhD in psychology.) It's not extreme to state it simply: Entertainment in America trains people more than they realize.
On that train of thought, it is especially disturbing how entertainment that is made specifically for children is not always clean and of positive influence. Too often media for children include liberal agendas deliberately trying to manipulate children's hearts and minds. And sometimes content might be "clean" but too noisy and congested and too "busy," which can still be harmful to children's development and emotions. We need more Mister Rogers and less extreme fast-paced stimuli.
Teaching our children media discernment from a young age will help them make wise choices when it comes to content later in life. It will impact their thoughts and actions for years to come. And encouraging other activities like positive play, reading stories together, making art like drawing pictures, and just letting children play are so important to childhood development and enjoyment.
Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers Neighborhood said it well, "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play IS serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." Giving children plenty of play time and interactions should outnumber minutes spent with media.
In summary, children should not be looking at screens all the time. In fact, the Mayo Clinic reports that too screen time can strongly contribute to childhood obesity, behavioral problems, irregular sleep, less time for play, violence, and impaired academic performance. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages media use by children younger than 2 years old and recommends limiting older children's screen time to no more than one or two hours a day.
In this edition, we are happy to share helpful tips to help you and your family thrive while navigating the challenges of today's media. In this edition, Stacie's article for adults and an article by Focus on the Family for kids pair well to prepare you for healthy media consumption. And we are happy to recommend a wholesome, fun, educational children's show called Cowboy Jack.
Let's do everything we can to encourage the children in our lives to grow and thrive in healthy ways. Together, we can make a difference. What goes into brains will come out in behaviors, as Stacie says. Be sure to prayerfully enjoy what media you consume. It's far more fun to eliminate the junk and feel well with a Biblically positive perspective on life!
Dr. Carrie Stoelting and Stacie Stoelting HudzinskiSisters and founders of Unite the USA
On that train of thought, it is especially disturbing how entertainment that is made specifically for children is not always clean and of positive influence. Too often media for children include liberal agendas deliberately trying to manipulate children's hearts and minds. And sometimes content might be "clean" but too noisy and congested and too "busy," which can still be harmful to children's development and emotions. We need more Mister Rogers and less extreme fast-paced stimuli.
Teaching our children media discernment from a young age will help them make wise choices when it comes to content later in life. It will impact their thoughts and actions for years to come. And encouraging other activities like positive play, reading stories together, making art like drawing pictures, and just letting children play are so important to childhood development and enjoyment.
Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers Neighborhood said it well, "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play IS serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." Giving children plenty of play time and interactions should outnumber minutes spent with media.
In summary, children should not be looking at screens all the time. In fact, the Mayo Clinic reports that too screen time can strongly contribute to childhood obesity, behavioral problems, irregular sleep, less time for play, violence, and impaired academic performance. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages media use by children younger than 2 years old and recommends limiting older children's screen time to no more than one or two hours a day.
In this edition, we are happy to share helpful tips to help you and your family thrive while navigating the challenges of today's media. In this edition, Stacie's article for adults and an article by Focus on the Family for kids pair well to prepare you for healthy media consumption. And we are happy to recommend a wholesome, fun, educational children's show called Cowboy Jack.
Let's do everything we can to encourage the children in our lives to grow and thrive in healthy ways. Together, we can make a difference. What goes into brains will come out in behaviors, as Stacie says. Be sure to prayerfully enjoy what media you consume. It's far more fun to eliminate the junk and feel well with a Biblically positive perspective on life!
Dr. Carrie Stoelting and Stacie Stoelting HudzinskiSisters and founders of Unite the USA
Featured Quote
"Please think of the children first. If you ever have anything to do with their entertainment, their food, their toys, their custody, their day or night care, their health care, their education--listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them. Think of the children first." -Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers Neighborhood
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Cowboy Jack: Quality Children's Programming
Friends,
We really appreciate a wonderful, wholesome children's show called Cowboy Jack. New episodes are regularly released on the Cowboy Jack YouTube Channel. He visits a variety of places to teach children about going to the doctor, how a car wash works, how to make pizza, and more. Check out his show. It is refreshing to see Cowboy Jack promote positive family values. He has a young family of his own and you can see how he understands and connects with children.
Thank you so much and keep up the great work, Cowboy Jack!
God bless,Carrie and Stacie
Thank you so much and keep up the great work, Cowboy Jack!
God bless,Carrie and Stacie
About Cowboy Jack
Cowboy Jack is an educational and fun channel for kids that takes them on adventures to explore this amazing world we call home. Every week, Cowboy Jack leads a new virtual field trip to somewhere new and exciting that is fun for the entire family to enjoy. Experience behind the scenes looks at everything from police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances to things like learning how a bowling alley works or what a dentist does to keep our teeth clean.
Cowboy Jack is a father to Cowboy Kaden and Cowgirl Addison, and genuinely started the show in hopes of providing his own children with quality educational entertainment similar to the great shows he grew up on. Thank you for trusting Cowboy Jack to entertain your family, and we hope that you find the wholesome content brings everyone together in fun ways!
Visit https://www.youtube.com/@CowboyJackShow and cowboyjackshow.com to learn more!
Cowboy Jack is a father to Cowboy Kaden and Cowgirl Addison, and genuinely started the show in hopes of providing his own children with quality educational entertainment similar to the great shows he grew up on. Thank you for trusting Cowboy Jack to entertain your family, and we hope that you find the wholesome content brings everyone together in fun ways!
Visit https://www.youtube.com/@CowboyJackShow and cowboyjackshow.com to learn more!
Featured Bible Verse
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! -Matthew 6:22-23
Unite the USA's
Featured Veteran of the Month: Michael Thornton
Michael Thornton, Medal of Honor, Vietnam War
You Are What You Watch
by Stacie Ruth Stoelting Hudzinski, PhD Candidate
7 Tips to Avoid Increasing Depression/Anxiety in Adults and Children
For years, the suicide rates in America have continued to be one of the leading causes of death in children and adults (Frequently Asked Questions About Suicide, 2021). The rates have been rising with a 56% increase from 2007 through 2017 in ages 10-24 (Centers for Disease Control, 2020). And, after the isolation and associated challenges of the pandemic, suicides and suicide attempts horrifically have continued to rise in children.
Granted, there are many reasons for the increase in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. But why are growing numbers of innocent children experiencing this in growing numbers? While many factors feed into this horrific trend, there is one factor often overlooked: repetitive exposure to dark entertainment/media through excessive screen time. People like to think that what we watch doesn't impact what we think. But we are what we eat, and we are what we watch (to a certain extent). What goes into our brains will come out in our behaviors/thoughts. Increased exposure to dark content (on social media, movies, and other forms of media/entertainment) worsens mental health. It is because we human beings learn through what we audio-visually ingest. Through excessive and unfiltered screen time, cyberbullying and violent/dark forms of entertainment have invaded kids’ (and adults’) lives in alarmingly toxic rates. What they audio-visually ingested impacted their sensitive hearts and developing minds. The increased utilization of all kinds of media during the pandemic created the ideal opportunity for many children (and adults), who already felt isolated, to be inordinately influenced by negative sources. This topic pulls at our heart strings. And it aligns with one of my passions: One of the hats I wear is that of behavioral research. As I run the final laps of my PhD, I know well one fact: We human beings copy what we see. We learn by what we watch others model –even symbolically through media. In fact, our participation with social media affects us. For example, our neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine levels) are directly influenced by social media activity (e.g., how many people view/like our images on social media). It’s because, in a sense, we are what we watch/perceive. If we look to Jesus and reflect God’s Word in our choices (even entertainment choices), then we will avoid many excessive effects of the evil darkness in this world. Contrary to a trend of thought that we can watch anything and be unaffected, entertainment trains us for the good or for the bad. This lesson crystallized en masse in the 1960s when Albert Bandura conducted his pivotal experiment with the BoBo doll. In it, he and his colleagues tested whether kindergarten-aged children copied what was modeled symbolically via film rather than only what was modeled directly in person to them. The extremely succinct summary? The children copied the violence on the BoBo doll.
A brilliant man, Bandura emerged from a farm in Canada and became a towering figure on the landscape of psychological studies until he became one of the most cited psychologists of all-time (Ozer, 2022). His development of social learning theory demonstrated his understanding of how people learn through imitation. Those with far left agendas listened to him and sought to use his theory to sway the public in their extreme direction. For example, one of Bandura's colleagues, Miguel Sabido, worked to create en entity known as Education-Entertainment through which he produced a series of docudramas to influence people to believe his secular humanist thoughts and agendas on family planning (Sabido, 2003). One by one, citizens in third-world countries would see his “free movies” and learn what he wanted them to learn. And they did. They sadly tended to behave in the ways that reflected his liberal agenda.
Did the entertainment train the viewers? Yes. Disturbingly, it trained people very efficiently. Example: In response to social learning theory-based docudramas intended to change family size, the population growth of Mexico slowed 34% (Sabido, 2003; Nagel, 1978). Yes, you read that correctly: There was a 34% reduction in population growth rate in response to this far left agenda. Media effectively can affect people of all backgrounds. It most impacts us when we set discernment aside and ingest too much of the wrong messages. It is because we human beings –created in God’s image to reflect Him— do change our behavior to reflect what we see to one degree or another. It can be very subtle or overt. But we do become what we see.
Bandura would have done well to note that what he discovered could actually be found in the Bible: God created us in His image and with the intent that we would mirror Him as we love Him and others. If only Bandura had discovered that the answers did not rest in population control but in the reality of God's love and Word. As human beings vulnerable to many influences, we are meant to keep our eyes on our Lord Jesus Christ who modeled everything good. Yes, we are to copy Christ who modeled everything for us. Here is but one Bible verse of many on this topic: "Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]" (Ephesians 5:1).
With God's help, we can win the battle and choose entertainment that reflects God's best for us so that our minds (and children's minds) are filled with Biblically positive messages. When we audio-visually ingest Biblically positive messages, we experience positive effects. It’s that simple. It’s that wonderful!
7 Tips for Healthy Audio-Visual Consumption for Families
Here are some tips to become a more reflective audio-visual consumer who experiences uplifting results: 1. Select entertainment which reflects God’s truth and love. Make Philippians 4 your focus and standard for what content you select to fill your minds. Ask a few questions as you read the summaries of shows: Does good prevail? Does evil get too much focus/time and equal footing with goodness? Are people making fun of Christians in it? The messages promoted in the film will bring you up or down. 2. Avoid genres/themes that stir up discontent or unhelpful desires for your current season of life. Here’s what I mean: Let’s pretend that someone is single and feeling desperate about wanting a spouse. It would do well for this person not to watch one romance movie after another –even if the romances are clean. Instead, it would be wise to change up the entertainment choices with the addition of some inspirational and comedy options.
3. Choose to watch and listen to content without people using God’s Name like dirt. Select content free of swearing. The lack of creativity in curse words and the darkness they bring are like sewage spewing from people’s mouths. It does no good. No good at all. Get censored versions of films with otherwise stellar content. And enjoy keeping your mental filter clean. Your outlook will brighten!
4. Determine to view movies/shows which do not promote worldly values that stir other forms of discontent. For example, fancy cars, vacations, and big homes do not fill hearts with warmth and love. Having loved ones who want to be with you should be esteemed instead. Films which promote loving God and neighbor instead of loving money and self will help change the focus from the constant comparison with the world game.
5. Limit social media and screen time as a whole. Fully engage your senses while making memories with loved ones. Today, so many people capture moments on their phones through pictures or social media postings. They attempt to get the best angles and choose the best wording in the captions. Yet something extremely ironic happens: As a result of capturing memories, they do not fully engage in the moment with their full senses. Later, they do not recall the memory fully and others have a feeling of distance instead of closeness. For example, someone may be so engrossed in taking selfies with large red roses that they don’t take the time to smell them, thank God for them, and thank the person who gave them. In our social media-filled society, many interact online yet ignore those in their own homes. They don’t realize how much they miss out because of their screens until something tragic happens to the ones they love.
This is why it is important to consider how we all spend our time and where we devote our attention. And it is highly important to then share His presence with others as you love them by being fully present. Make memories with your whole attention in the moment. Sure, take a few pictures. But wait to post them. Or cherish privacy and skip it altogether. (While it's fun to use social media, we need to remember that privacy is precious, too.) Fully engage your five senses when making memories and thank God for every blessing you newly notice in the process. It is exciting to enjoy life so richly instead of having your attention split!
6. Take the One-Hour Challenge to see how you fare without your phone on. Turn off all media for one hour. Take a walk. Read a book. Make a good recipe. Visit with a friend/family member “in person.” Journal. Draw/color. Create something to bless another person.
7. Guard your kids’ minds and help them develop discernment based on love and not legalism. Cyberbullying and predators of children often appear during unmonitored screen time. Keep your children’s phones in your bedroom at night. Limit screen time and use filters for content (e.g., VidAngel, ClearPlay). Eliminate commercials through subscriptions to commercial-free sources (e.g., PureFlix). Use sources like PluggedIn for movie reviews. It may feel weird at first, but the rewards will exceed any temporary awkwardness.
Summary Become a reflective and protective audio-visual consumer. As adults, our jobs are to protect the children and teens in our lives while encouraging them to reach their amazing God-given potential. The shift in focus can feel strange initially. (Let me give you a heads up: It may feel weird for a while as you detox from “mental junk food” or mood-poisoning media making your mind feel worse. But the long-term benefits and relatively fast-acting effects of positive, God-honoring entertainment will make you wish you had made the switch sooner.)
Today, let each of us choose content which reflects Philippians 4. Pray before watching. (It may sound extreme, but we live in extreme times in which we are inundated by messages, choices, and voices.) Pause and ask the Lord for wisdom before you make an audiovisual selection –especially when selecting anything for children and teens.
Keep mental filters and vision clean. Entertainment choices act as voices into our lives. What we opt to ingest audio visually does affect our minds/moods. We must choose wisely. I believe you’ll be surprised when, after some time away from bad content and with a deliberate diet of good content, you will feel so much more peaceful, hopeful, and joyful!
Let’s take God’s Word to heart together now:
"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). "For You make him to be blessed and a blessing forever; You make him exceedingly glad with the joy of Your presence" (Psalm 21:6).
"Surely the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence (before Your very face)" (Psalm 140:13).
"We are [children] of God. Whoever is learning to know God [progressively to perceive, recognize, and understand God by observation and experience, and to [e] get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him]" (I John 4:6-7). -Stacie Ruth Stoelting Hudzinski, PhD Candidate
ReferencesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Underlying cause of death, 1999-2020 request. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html
Even before COVID-19 pandemic, youth suicide already at record high. 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from UC Davis Health: https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/even-before-covid-19-pandemic-youth-suicide-already-at-record-high/2021/04 Frequently Asked Questions About Suicide. (2021). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from National Institute of Public Health: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-faq
Ozer, E. M. (2022). Albert Bandura (1925–2021). American Psychologist. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000981
Sabido, M. (2003). The origins of entertainment-education. In Entertainment-Education and social change (pp. 83-96). Routledge.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL NOTE: Do not hesitate to get help for yourself or a loved one with suicidal thoughts. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or text CONNECT to 741741 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
7 Tips to Avoid Increasing Depression/Anxiety in Adults and Children
For years, the suicide rates in America have continued to be one of the leading causes of death in children and adults (Frequently Asked Questions About Suicide, 2021). The rates have been rising with a 56% increase from 2007 through 2017 in ages 10-24 (Centers for Disease Control, 2020). And, after the isolation and associated challenges of the pandemic, suicides and suicide attempts horrifically have continued to rise in children.
Granted, there are many reasons for the increase in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. But why are growing numbers of innocent children experiencing this in growing numbers? While many factors feed into this horrific trend, there is one factor often overlooked: repetitive exposure to dark entertainment/media through excessive screen time. People like to think that what we watch doesn't impact what we think. But we are what we eat, and we are what we watch (to a certain extent). What goes into our brains will come out in our behaviors/thoughts. Increased exposure to dark content (on social media, movies, and other forms of media/entertainment) worsens mental health. It is because we human beings learn through what we audio-visually ingest. Through excessive and unfiltered screen time, cyberbullying and violent/dark forms of entertainment have invaded kids’ (and adults’) lives in alarmingly toxic rates. What they audio-visually ingested impacted their sensitive hearts and developing minds. The increased utilization of all kinds of media during the pandemic created the ideal opportunity for many children (and adults), who already felt isolated, to be inordinately influenced by negative sources. This topic pulls at our heart strings. And it aligns with one of my passions: One of the hats I wear is that of behavioral research. As I run the final laps of my PhD, I know well one fact: We human beings copy what we see. We learn by what we watch others model –even symbolically through media. In fact, our participation with social media affects us. For example, our neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine levels) are directly influenced by social media activity (e.g., how many people view/like our images on social media). It’s because, in a sense, we are what we watch/perceive. If we look to Jesus and reflect God’s Word in our choices (even entertainment choices), then we will avoid many excessive effects of the evil darkness in this world. Contrary to a trend of thought that we can watch anything and be unaffected, entertainment trains us for the good or for the bad. This lesson crystallized en masse in the 1960s when Albert Bandura conducted his pivotal experiment with the BoBo doll. In it, he and his colleagues tested whether kindergarten-aged children copied what was modeled symbolically via film rather than only what was modeled directly in person to them. The extremely succinct summary? The children copied the violence on the BoBo doll.
A brilliant man, Bandura emerged from a farm in Canada and became a towering figure on the landscape of psychological studies until he became one of the most cited psychologists of all-time (Ozer, 2022). His development of social learning theory demonstrated his understanding of how people learn through imitation. Those with far left agendas listened to him and sought to use his theory to sway the public in their extreme direction. For example, one of Bandura's colleagues, Miguel Sabido, worked to create en entity known as Education-Entertainment through which he produced a series of docudramas to influence people to believe his secular humanist thoughts and agendas on family planning (Sabido, 2003). One by one, citizens in third-world countries would see his “free movies” and learn what he wanted them to learn. And they did. They sadly tended to behave in the ways that reflected his liberal agenda.
Did the entertainment train the viewers? Yes. Disturbingly, it trained people very efficiently. Example: In response to social learning theory-based docudramas intended to change family size, the population growth of Mexico slowed 34% (Sabido, 2003; Nagel, 1978). Yes, you read that correctly: There was a 34% reduction in population growth rate in response to this far left agenda. Media effectively can affect people of all backgrounds. It most impacts us when we set discernment aside and ingest too much of the wrong messages. It is because we human beings –created in God’s image to reflect Him— do change our behavior to reflect what we see to one degree or another. It can be very subtle or overt. But we do become what we see.
Bandura would have done well to note that what he discovered could actually be found in the Bible: God created us in His image and with the intent that we would mirror Him as we love Him and others. If only Bandura had discovered that the answers did not rest in population control but in the reality of God's love and Word. As human beings vulnerable to many influences, we are meant to keep our eyes on our Lord Jesus Christ who modeled everything good. Yes, we are to copy Christ who modeled everything for us. Here is but one Bible verse of many on this topic: "Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]" (Ephesians 5:1).
With God's help, we can win the battle and choose entertainment that reflects God's best for us so that our minds (and children's minds) are filled with Biblically positive messages. When we audio-visually ingest Biblically positive messages, we experience positive effects. It’s that simple. It’s that wonderful!
7 Tips for Healthy Audio-Visual Consumption for Families
Here are some tips to become a more reflective audio-visual consumer who experiences uplifting results: 1. Select entertainment which reflects God’s truth and love. Make Philippians 4 your focus and standard for what content you select to fill your minds. Ask a few questions as you read the summaries of shows: Does good prevail? Does evil get too much focus/time and equal footing with goodness? Are people making fun of Christians in it? The messages promoted in the film will bring you up or down. 2. Avoid genres/themes that stir up discontent or unhelpful desires for your current season of life. Here’s what I mean: Let’s pretend that someone is single and feeling desperate about wanting a spouse. It would do well for this person not to watch one romance movie after another –even if the romances are clean. Instead, it would be wise to change up the entertainment choices with the addition of some inspirational and comedy options.
3. Choose to watch and listen to content without people using God’s Name like dirt. Select content free of swearing. The lack of creativity in curse words and the darkness they bring are like sewage spewing from people’s mouths. It does no good. No good at all. Get censored versions of films with otherwise stellar content. And enjoy keeping your mental filter clean. Your outlook will brighten!
4. Determine to view movies/shows which do not promote worldly values that stir other forms of discontent. For example, fancy cars, vacations, and big homes do not fill hearts with warmth and love. Having loved ones who want to be with you should be esteemed instead. Films which promote loving God and neighbor instead of loving money and self will help change the focus from the constant comparison with the world game.
5. Limit social media and screen time as a whole. Fully engage your senses while making memories with loved ones. Today, so many people capture moments on their phones through pictures or social media postings. They attempt to get the best angles and choose the best wording in the captions. Yet something extremely ironic happens: As a result of capturing memories, they do not fully engage in the moment with their full senses. Later, they do not recall the memory fully and others have a feeling of distance instead of closeness. For example, someone may be so engrossed in taking selfies with large red roses that they don’t take the time to smell them, thank God for them, and thank the person who gave them. In our social media-filled society, many interact online yet ignore those in their own homes. They don’t realize how much they miss out because of their screens until something tragic happens to the ones they love.
This is why it is important to consider how we all spend our time and where we devote our attention. And it is highly important to then share His presence with others as you love them by being fully present. Make memories with your whole attention in the moment. Sure, take a few pictures. But wait to post them. Or cherish privacy and skip it altogether. (While it's fun to use social media, we need to remember that privacy is precious, too.) Fully engage your five senses when making memories and thank God for every blessing you newly notice in the process. It is exciting to enjoy life so richly instead of having your attention split!
6. Take the One-Hour Challenge to see how you fare without your phone on. Turn off all media for one hour. Take a walk. Read a book. Make a good recipe. Visit with a friend/family member “in person.” Journal. Draw/color. Create something to bless another person.
7. Guard your kids’ minds and help them develop discernment based on love and not legalism. Cyberbullying and predators of children often appear during unmonitored screen time. Keep your children’s phones in your bedroom at night. Limit screen time and use filters for content (e.g., VidAngel, ClearPlay). Eliminate commercials through subscriptions to commercial-free sources (e.g., PureFlix). Use sources like PluggedIn for movie reviews. It may feel weird at first, but the rewards will exceed any temporary awkwardness.
Summary Become a reflective and protective audio-visual consumer. As adults, our jobs are to protect the children and teens in our lives while encouraging them to reach their amazing God-given potential. The shift in focus can feel strange initially. (Let me give you a heads up: It may feel weird for a while as you detox from “mental junk food” or mood-poisoning media making your mind feel worse. But the long-term benefits and relatively fast-acting effects of positive, God-honoring entertainment will make you wish you had made the switch sooner.)
Today, let each of us choose content which reflects Philippians 4. Pray before watching. (It may sound extreme, but we live in extreme times in which we are inundated by messages, choices, and voices.) Pause and ask the Lord for wisdom before you make an audiovisual selection –especially when selecting anything for children and teens.
Keep mental filters and vision clean. Entertainment choices act as voices into our lives. What we opt to ingest audio visually does affect our minds/moods. We must choose wisely. I believe you’ll be surprised when, after some time away from bad content and with a deliberate diet of good content, you will feel so much more peaceful, hopeful, and joyful!
Let’s take God’s Word to heart together now:
"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). "For You make him to be blessed and a blessing forever; You make him exceedingly glad with the joy of Your presence" (Psalm 21:6).
"Surely the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence (before Your very face)" (Psalm 140:13).
"We are [children] of God. Whoever is learning to know God [progressively to perceive, recognize, and understand God by observation and experience, and to [e] get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him]" (I John 4:6-7). -Stacie Ruth Stoelting Hudzinski, PhD Candidate
ReferencesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Underlying cause of death, 1999-2020 request. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html
Even before COVID-19 pandemic, youth suicide already at record high. 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from UC Davis Health: https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/even-before-covid-19-pandemic-youth-suicide-already-at-record-high/2021/04 Frequently Asked Questions About Suicide. (2021). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from National Institute of Public Health: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-faq
Ozer, E. M. (2022). Albert Bandura (1925–2021). American Psychologist. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000981
Sabido, M. (2003). The origins of entertainment-education. In Entertainment-Education and social change (pp. 83-96). Routledge.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL NOTE: Do not hesitate to get help for yourself or a loved one with suicidal thoughts. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or text CONNECT to 741741 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Protecting Our Kids from Harmful Entertainment
Entertainment & Our Kids
By Focus on the Family
Today’s entertainment is a continual flood of different messages. From movies to music, each day our minds are bombarded by content filled with sexual innuendo, violence and questionable morals. It is vitally important that we not only guard our own hearts and minds, but that we protect those of our children as well. Teaching our children media discernment from a young age will help them make wise choices when it comes to content later in life, and may impact their thoughts and actions for years to come.
Proverbs 22:6 instructs us as parents, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Short of moving to a deserted island, it is impossible for our families to escape the tidal wave of messages that come our direction each day. By practicing discernment in what and how much media we watch, and teaching our children how to do the same, we are guarding our hearts and minds against things that could be damaging to us.
The Impact of Media on Our Brains
The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:22-23 that, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Our eyes are the entrance to our hearts, and whatever we watch with them will take root in our hearts. Therefore, it is important to watch good, wholesome content rather than filling our hearts with things that are not Christlike.
What we watch sticks in our memory. Because media can influence our emotions and moods, it can play on our imagination even years later. It can also have an impact on our thinking and perspectives which influence our actions. What we watch can even have an impact on our child’s brain development.
Most of a child’s brain development happens in the first few years of his or her life. As a result, kids who watch TV at such a young age are at higher risk. Attention Deficit Disorder and obesity from sitting too much. There can also be a dramatic impact on emotional and language skills.
Get Out and Play! A large part of media discernment is not only knowing what our children should watch, but how much they should be watching. Most children use screens an average of seven hours a day. The AHA recently issued with a statement recommending that children should only use screens one to two hours per day. So what healthy, non-screen related activities can you get your child involved in? The possibilities are endless! Here are a few examples to get the ideas flowing:
Exercise and Sports
Getting your child involved in sports through school or intramurals is a great way to occupy their time, teach them teamwork and other skills, and give them exercise. Even if your children aren’t part of a sports team, you can still kick the soccer ball around or shoot some basketball hoops as a family. Take an evening walk, go on a bike ride together, or explore a local park.
Board Games
Playing board games is fun and a way to fuel the competitive spirit and create bonding time within a family. Pick from one of the classics, or perhaps even create your own!
Music
Encourage your child to learn a musical instrument. There are many benefits to a child learning to play a musical instrument, including increased coordination, memory and learning skills. If possible, have your child play with a local or school band or orchestra.
Art Projects and Hobbies
The sky is the limit when it comes to art projects and things that your kids can create. Try a variety of different projects and hobbies and see which they like best. Learning to draw, paint, sew, knit, crochet, build models or complete puzzles are great places to get started.
Create Your Own Entertainment Reading stories with your children has many benefits of its own, including sparking their imagination. Have your children put on their own play or create their own movie based on a story that you have read together. Your child may discover a love of acting, which would make it possible for them to get involved in a school or local theater program.
Click here to read more.
Today’s entertainment is a continual flood of different messages. From movies to music, each day our minds are bombarded by content filled with sexual innuendo, violence and questionable morals. It is vitally important that we not only guard our own hearts and minds, but that we protect those of our children as well. Teaching our children media discernment from a young age will help them make wise choices when it comes to content later in life, and may impact their thoughts and actions for years to come.
Proverbs 22:6 instructs us as parents, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Short of moving to a deserted island, it is impossible for our families to escape the tidal wave of messages that come our direction each day. By practicing discernment in what and how much media we watch, and teaching our children how to do the same, we are guarding our hearts and minds against things that could be damaging to us.
The Impact of Media on Our Brains
The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:22-23 that, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Our eyes are the entrance to our hearts, and whatever we watch with them will take root in our hearts. Therefore, it is important to watch good, wholesome content rather than filling our hearts with things that are not Christlike.
What we watch sticks in our memory. Because media can influence our emotions and moods, it can play on our imagination even years later. It can also have an impact on our thinking and perspectives which influence our actions. What we watch can even have an impact on our child’s brain development.
Most of a child’s brain development happens in the first few years of his or her life. As a result, kids who watch TV at such a young age are at higher risk. Attention Deficit Disorder and obesity from sitting too much. There can also be a dramatic impact on emotional and language skills.
Get Out and Play! A large part of media discernment is not only knowing what our children should watch, but how much they should be watching. Most children use screens an average of seven hours a day. The AHA recently issued with a statement recommending that children should only use screens one to two hours per day. So what healthy, non-screen related activities can you get your child involved in? The possibilities are endless! Here are a few examples to get the ideas flowing:
Exercise and Sports
Getting your child involved in sports through school or intramurals is a great way to occupy their time, teach them teamwork and other skills, and give them exercise. Even if your children aren’t part of a sports team, you can still kick the soccer ball around or shoot some basketball hoops as a family. Take an evening walk, go on a bike ride together, or explore a local park.
Board Games
Playing board games is fun and a way to fuel the competitive spirit and create bonding time within a family. Pick from one of the classics, or perhaps even create your own!
Music
Encourage your child to learn a musical instrument. There are many benefits to a child learning to play a musical instrument, including increased coordination, memory and learning skills. If possible, have your child play with a local or school band or orchestra.
Art Projects and Hobbies
The sky is the limit when it comes to art projects and things that your kids can create. Try a variety of different projects and hobbies and see which they like best. Learning to draw, paint, sew, knit, crochet, build models or complete puzzles are great places to get started.
Create Your Own Entertainment Reading stories with your children has many benefits of its own, including sparking their imagination. Have your children put on their own play or create their own movie based on a story that you have read together. Your child may discover a love of acting, which would make it possible for them to get involved in a school or local theater program.
Click here to read more.