I love your insights into this podcast episode! Especially when you said: "You have enduring, eternal wisdom from the God who made this world, and it is meant to help you navigate the complex realities in the here and the now—even smartphones and A.I." So true!
And thanks for sharing our own podcast conversation on Theology on Purpose!
I just finished Haidt's book and was fascinated that he concludes that the result of these problems is "spiritual degradation", though he says in the same breath that he is an atheist. And then he goes on to admit that though he is an atheist, it is religious community and religious practices that have the type of practices that we need to re-form us as a people. So interesting.
I really enjoyed this. Can I suggest that Christian families draw the firm line in the sand that Klein hints at, Haidt proposes and Twenge's data supports? Smartphones and tablets aren't for kids & teens.
Haidt recommends age 14 for smartphones and age 16 for social media, while acknowledging in his book that age 18 for social media is what the data supports.
In reality, I've yet to find a teenager who had smartphone access that didn't also access social media (whether forbidden or not). Christians should 100% be saying smartphones and tablets aren't for children. The data is obvious, the understanding of human flourshing is robust, the implications for formation are far reaching. Yet, it seems like Christians are too scared to say the truth. I don't get it.
I’ve spent the last year advocating for tech changes in our public schools—and the most maddening part of the work is exactly this! Despite factual evidence and studies, there’s still a sense of what’s being described here; our school leaders won’t make a “moral judgement” of what’s bad vs good. Facts do not matter. The school districts have factual evidence and yet they’ve sent out many parent surveys this year asking for how we FEEL. They don’t want to make parents angry by making changes to cell phone policies on campuses even if it’s what’s best for kids. Thank you for sharing the episode. I’ve seen what’s being described in their interview, but it sure helps a lot to hear someone else name it.
This is a wonderfully thoughtful help toward clarifying a framework I am circling. "Exercemus" is only threatening and burdensome if it is the thing in which we place our hope. But if it is a seizure of that hope, a way of holding onto it with fleshly and fallible hands, then the opportunity to participate in our own formation through practicing is an incomparable gift.
The way this intertwines with parenting is beautiful and sobering; how loudly our lives speak and what a profound opportunity we are daily given to show this passing from death into life right in front of the eyes of our children. Thank you for calling us to attention.
I’m currently in the middle of this podcast episode and finding it so interesting. This was a good addition to it!
I hope lots of people with listen and reflect and talk with their communities about it!
I love your insights into this podcast episode! Especially when you said: "You have enduring, eternal wisdom from the God who made this world, and it is meant to help you navigate the complex realities in the here and the now—even smartphones and A.I." So true!
And thanks for sharing our own podcast conversation on Theology on Purpose!
Thanks for reading, Sarah, and thanks for a great conversation!
I just finished Haidt's book and was fascinated that he concludes that the result of these problems is "spiritual degradation", though he says in the same breath that he is an atheist. And then he goes on to admit that though he is an atheist, it is religious community and religious practices that have the type of practices that we need to re-form us as a people. So interesting.
Yes I’m curious how he is putting these pieces together for himself!
I really enjoyed this. Can I suggest that Christian families draw the firm line in the sand that Klein hints at, Haidt proposes and Twenge's data supports? Smartphones and tablets aren't for kids & teens.
Haidt recommends age 14 for smartphones and age 16 for social media, while acknowledging in his book that age 18 for social media is what the data supports.
In reality, I've yet to find a teenager who had smartphone access that didn't also access social media (whether forbidden or not). Christians should 100% be saying smartphones and tablets aren't for children. The data is obvious, the understanding of human flourshing is robust, the implications for formation are far reaching. Yet, it seems like Christians are too scared to say the truth. I don't get it.
I’ve spent the last year advocating for tech changes in our public schools—and the most maddening part of the work is exactly this! Despite factual evidence and studies, there’s still a sense of what’s being described here; our school leaders won’t make a “moral judgement” of what’s bad vs good. Facts do not matter. The school districts have factual evidence and yet they’ve sent out many parent surveys this year asking for how we FEEL. They don’t want to make parents angry by making changes to cell phone policies on campuses even if it’s what’s best for kids. Thank you for sharing the episode. I’ve seen what’s being described in their interview, but it sure helps a lot to hear someone else name it.
This is a wonderfully thoughtful help toward clarifying a framework I am circling. "Exercemus" is only threatening and burdensome if it is the thing in which we place our hope. But if it is a seizure of that hope, a way of holding onto it with fleshly and fallible hands, then the opportunity to participate in our own formation through practicing is an incomparable gift.
The way this intertwines with parenting is beautiful and sobering; how loudly our lives speak and what a profound opportunity we are daily given to show this passing from death into life right in front of the eyes of our children. Thank you for calling us to attention.