What is captivating your heart and your mind?

 

This isn’t exactly a new problem; the 1950’s gave rise to a society with more TV’s than people. How many of you have more TV’s in your home than people? Unfortunately most of us, and that is an issue. We spend more time a week consuming media than we do speaking to each other. The average child watches 53 hours on a screen per week. That’s over 18,000 hours by the time they graduate; more time than they will spend in the classroom. The average teen sends and receives 3,339 texts a month and they also sleep with their phone on which causes a disruption in their sleep patterns in turn disrupting their growth and brain development. Instead, take their phone away at night. Designate a place in your bedroom to turn it in, turn it off, and charge it each night at a set time. They will grumble at first, but soon it will become habit.

 

Aside from the sheer amount of time being wasted on these devices, what are the other affects? If a child is exposed to too much TV before the age of two, they become conditioned to expect the fast pace and are more likely to develop ADD or ADHD. The brain develops at a very rapid rate from birth to two years old, it actually triples in size. If this time is filled with TV/ screen time, it can shorten their attention span. Instead, read to them, sing together, go to a museum, or play outside.

 

 

Whatever the brain does a lot of, the brain gets good at. Our brains were not meant to multi-task, we actually loose speed, efficiency, and accuracy when we try to do too many things at once. It’s also not just about how much we consume, but also about what we consume. The internet, movies, video games, social media, violent media…. you name it. It’s all out there at our children’s finger tips. We HAVE to monitor their use, set time limits, and also set bedtimes so they are getting proper rest to grown and develop normally.

 

Infants (4 to 12 months): 12 to 16 hours (including naps)
Toddlers (1 to 2 years): 11 to 14 hours (including naps)
Preschoolers (3 to 5 years): 10 to 13 hours (including naps)
Gradeschoolers (6 to 12 years): 9 to 12 hours
Teens (13 to 18 years): 8 to 10 hours

As a Christian leader in your home, you can control the focus of the media by choosing things that glorify Him. As Christians, we should not support “R” rated movies…. if it’s not holy or righteous, turn away from it. Ask yourself, “What would the Creator of the Universe think about me watching/ listening to this?” Deny yourselves, take up your cross and say NO!

Some of you may be asking yourself, “Then what do I do instead?” Find freedom in the “other things”. You will make a far greater impact on your family when you spend time together not connected to your devices. We have all made mistakes, but guess what? You get a redo! Admit to your family that it’s your job to protect them and make changes in your home because you want to honor Christ as a family. One very important thing to remember is that something else will fill the void if you don’t. Don’t just ban the technology, replace it with something holy & righteous. Go for more walks, play more games, read more books. Also, check out right now media and Focus on the Families movie rating system for more wholesome choices.

 

 

** I have two copies of the movie “Captivated” if you are interested in checking one out to view with your family. Or check out their website for your own copy, http://www.captivatedthemovie.com/

 

Yours In Christ,

Susannah Henderson

Middle School Teacher