The Spiritual Threat of Screens to Youth & Faith - A Conversation with Jaimie Willis

Jaimie is my preacher buddy just down the road from me. He and I are both trying to keep our eyes on what matters when considering how to best protect and disciple younger people in our midst. He recently read 'Scrolling Ourselves to Death' and 'Anxious Generation,' both of which point to smartphones and screen posing a serious risk to the psychological, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of people today.

All of us are impacted by this topic to one degree or another. Many of us who watch this look at screens way too much. Many watch pornography, many gamble. Others just piddle away massive amounts of time on trivial things that disable us cognitively. As a father of young adults, Jaimie wishes he had known these things before he allowed his children unfettered access to phones. As a father of younger children, I'm quite fortunate to be living at this time in which the deleterious effects of screens are being proven out.

Listen, Jaimie is a fantastic guy. You will enjoy learning from him. Take the time to do so in order to better serve your communities and foster the healthy and holy development of the children and youth in your life. Also, protect yourself! No age group is immune. Be a good steward of your resources. Guard your heart by guarding your eyes.

Links:

'Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age' by Brett McCracken and Ivan Mesa - https://a.co/d/cBX2oV5

'The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness' by Jonathan Haidt - https://a.co/d/8AVaMMR