Tech Tip #6 My Child Has Seen Porn or Has Been Viewing Porn. Help!

How have you responded? How are you going to respond? According to the stats, most of us will have to navigate through the reality of a child accessing pornographic images and/or videos on a device that we have brought to the home or given them access to. What are you going to do when that occurs?

Pornography is unfortunately easier to find and access than ever before and we need to protect those we love.

Our friends at Covenant Eyes have provided a wonderful free resource that may be very helpful to you. It is called When Your Child is Looking at Porn: A Step-by-Step Guide for Christian Parents, and it can be found HERE

Application:

1. Pray that God would protect your home from the harmful effects of porn.

2. Read through the guide and prepare yourself for conversations that need to take place.

3. If your child is mature enough, have some very intentional conversations about pornography and deepening internal values that will protect us.

4. Check out Covenant Eyes accountability and filtering options. Use the promo code CONNECTED for a free 30-day trial. Link

Tech Tip #2 Parenting the Internet Generation

Parents today who are raising children, pre-teens, and teens are facing a whole world of unique challenges that revolve around the internet. As parents, we are in the position to parent the internet generation. Covenant Eyes, which provides online accountability and filtering, has created an incredible ebook called Parenting the Internet Generation. This ebook is free for you to view and download. It wisely maps out for us seven potential threats and seven habits for internet safety. Click here for your free download of this book. Covenant Eyes has also offered a free 30-day trial using the promo code CONNECTED (see the flyer in your Connected 3D kit for more information).

Application:

Have age appropriate conversations with your child about the issues mentioned in this ebook. You decide what conversations you believe they are ready for.

Going Further:

Listen/watch Jonathan McKee, co-author of Should I Just Smash My Kid's Phone.  

Tech Tip #5 Screen Free Week

Have you ever considered having a screen-free week? This means no screens for entertainment for a week. Would that be a challenge for your family? You better believe it! Could it be very rewarding for your family? Absolutely!

We all need to detox from our devices at times and this is a great time to do that.  Get outside, play games together, create, read, and get active.

As your family discusses having some "screen-free" time, click here to watch our Connected 3D video together and then talk about the fun things you can do as a family without devices.

Tech Tip #4 Family Tips for Wisdom with Technology

Have you ever asked yourself any of the following question:

     -  How do I help my child with cyber-bullying?

     -  How should I evaluate websites and games?

     -  What is good online security?

     -  How should I monitor social media posts?

First, check out this funny video from Common Sense Media HERE

Secondly, check out these great family tips HERE

Application:

Keep this guide saved for when issues become relevant in the future. Use these tips to foster constructive conversations with the members of your family.

Going Further:

Check out Opendns as a tool for keeping your family safe online. Click HERE to find out more about free customizable filtering and security.

Tech Tip #3 Video Games, Gamers and Guarding Your Family

Are you concerned with the amount of video games that are played by those in your home? The types of games played? Who the games are played against? The purpose of the post this week is to provide your family with some helpful suggestions and guidelines with video games.

Not all games are cause for concern. In fact, many families have learned to set healthy boundaries in regard to time spent on games and even found great ways to engage in playing games together. Focus on the Family provides some great tips concerning video games. Click HERE to see those suggestions.

Application:

Have good conversation with any gamer in your home. Make sure there are clear boundaries and that there is common agreement of how to disconnect from their gaming devices to connect in the real world. This is a great time to evaluate your own habits, as you are modeling those habits for others in your home.

Going Further:

Click here and scroll down to find our video game trouble podcast.   

Tech Tips #1 This past week...

This past weekend at Bentonville Church of Christ, we launched our Connected 3D Campaign. If you weren't here for the messages in this series, Click this link to go to our sermons page and then search for our Connected 3D series.  The main focus of this campaign is for individuals and families to use technology in a God-honoring way. Josh Bundy did a great job challenging us using 3 D's: Disconnect to connect, Deepen internal values, and Develop external boundaries. To assist you in this focus, we have created a  Connected 3D kit. If you were not able to pick one up this past weekend, you can find the materials on our Connected page of the Bentonville Church of Christ web site.

Connected 3D Prayer:  Stop whatever you are doing right now to spend a few moments in prayer for yourself and your family using the following...

• DISCONNECT TO CONNECT:  "Lord, help me to recognize when to put my device away and connect with You and with those closest to me."

• DEEPEN INTERNAL VALUES:  "Lord, I choose to honor you with how I use all areas of technology."

• DEVELOP EXTERNAL VALUES:  "God, I will not allow technology to be used in an unhealthy way by myself or my family. Help us to create some new boundaries in our home that are appropriate for our family."

Over the next eight weeks, we will post updates with resources, tips and encouragement. We hope they will help you and your family to replace virtual connection with real connection to God and each other.

Going Further:

The Digital Kid's Initiative is a Christian-based resource created by the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. There you will find information and resources to help you and your family navigate the digital world.