Resources for Parents on Social Media, Apps & Phones

photo credit: Iker Merodio | Photography Shadows in a Sunny Day via photopin (license)

Conversations about phone use and social media are happening all over the place. I saw a piece on the news about how Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson has been a victim of online bullying. He was engaged to Ariana Grande and their break up kept them in the spotlight. On top of that he recently apologized for a sketch on SNL that brought a lot of criticism.

In the NBC news piece, Davidson spoke about the messages and comments he has received, the dangers of social media and how he has deleted photos from his Instagram in response to all of it.

While social media and the connection we have through our devices has many positive aspects, there are some pretty dark and disturbing things as well. How do parents help their students navigate this ever changing world? There are some good resources available that can equip parents to keep the conversation going.

In a recent post on the Growing Leaders blog, Tim Elmore offers some suggestions as to why parents should reduce social media use. He points to the constant pings and notifications that come with many social media apps. Those continual notifications can be distractions and even create a sense of needing to respond immediately to what we receive. It could even lead to a level of addiction. Elmore’s insights are worth considering if your student is constantly tied to his/her device. Read the whole article here : One Great Reason to Reduce Social Media Use

In a more recent blog post (published Dec. 4) Elmore shares about five apps that are potentially dangerous for teens. He lists these five ::

1. Yubo
2. Calculator%
3. Marco Polo
4. Wishbone
5. Whisper

He describes what each app does and how it could be unhealthy for our students.

More than just those specific apps, I think this article underscores the responsibility parents should have to know what is on the phones of our students.  As Elmore says at one point this post, “an adolescent brain can quickly spot the potential benefits of this app, but they do no see the likely consequences.”  We need to help our students think through the consequences of choices they make (both good and bad) and we can’t really do that if we don’t know what they are doing.

Want to talk to your student about cell phone use and even come to agreement on it?

Parent Ministry offers various resources including an article called Top 10 Ways to Tame the Cell Phone Beast. In it they offer suggestions about where teens charge their phones at night, texting and driving and even using a cell phone contract.

You can download the Top 10 Ways on the website and they even offer a free Cell Phone Contract. You can use the contract as it is or use it as a discussion point with your student to talk about devices, social media and so much more.

While there are many good resources out there, these are just a few to help parents have the conversations about these important topics.

Unstoppable review

Many people are familiar with Nick Vujicic from his videos on YouTube and the sharing of his story through social media. Unstoppable is his second book and while I haven’t had the opportunity to read his first one yet, I knew this would be a good read.

What is interesting to see is the response Nick’s picture and story receive when initially viewed. I used a brief quote from Unstoppable in my Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago and I assumed most of my students had heard of Nick. Those who hadn’t were a bit taken back by the cover of his book. The first time you see a picture of a man born without limbs causes you to wonder how it happened or if the picture is real. He definitely captures a person’s attention.

While Nick’s story is both powerful and inspirational, I felt the strongest part of Unstoppable were the chapters that dealt with the subjects of bullying and suicide. In his story, Nick candidly shares his struggles with both of those issues. He offers practical advice and helpful resources to those who may be struggling with suicide or bullying and offers encouragement to those who know people battling with one of those challenges.

What added weight to the words of his own experiences were the stories he shared of people he met who contemplated suicide or were victims of bullying. He made it clear that those issues aren’t just dealt with by those who have a physical challenge such as his. The stories he shared of people he has met in his ministry under girded what he wrote about and brought those dark issues into the light.

He also brought a good challenge to the reader who may have a friend who is bullied or is showing signs of harming oneself. His encouragement was to step in, provide support and seek outside assistance for those who need it. One of the difficulties Nick had from his bullying experience was that no one spoke up for him. I thought his words on those two subjects were very helpful and a good resource.

Unstoppable is a story of faith, trust in God and how God uses people of all shapes and sizes to accomplish His work. It is a good read for both teens and adults.

(I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my review)