Those of us with teens in our houses know how attune they are to the latest techno-gadgets.They prefer texting to talking to their buddies.
As a result, the latest phone or PDA can carry more status for this generation than a Mustang convertible did for mine. But like a speedy car, new phones have an element of danger not always recognized by those yet to acknowledge their mortality.
So it means parents must bring a measure of caution and knowledge to the use and potential abuses of ever-increasing communication technology.
Dwayne Hastings of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, SBC, provides some helpful advice in this article from Baptist Press.
Hastings notes: “The latest generation of cell phones offers an expanded array of features — some which may put your teenager at risk. New wireless technology allows users to download digital video content and other material directly from the Internet to wireless hand-held devices such as the feature-rich cell phones and iPods.”
Being alarmists who fear or reject technological advances makes no sense. But being informed and cautious about our teens’ choices certainly does.
Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and former executive editor and publisher at Good Faith Media.
