Pornography is a rampant, aggressive, and merciless foe destroying millions of victims every year.
It promises the intimacy, passion and excitement of real sex but instead delivers shame, guilt, embarrassment and ultimately death.
As parents of a technology driven generation, we have the responsibility and opportunity to help shape a culture that knows how to leverage the benefits of technology without becoming statistics to the perils of technology.
One of the ways we do that is to leverage the parental controls so readily available to us today to help keep our kids safe and pure, as they are online, playing video games or watching Netflix.
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Keep Kids Safe
Here are a few things I’ve learned as a parent of 4 about keeping our kids safe online:
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Most TV’s, computers, DVD players now come with “Parental Control Settings” which allows you (the parent) to decide what can and cannot be open on that specific device. It’s usually a minimal time investment (5-10 minutes to set up) that pays long-term dividends. Your kids might laugh, make fun of you, and even think; “Man, my parents are a little old school” but in the end they will thank you for creating a safe place for them online.- There are a ton of GREAT accountability software options so you can know EXACTLY where your kids go on the internet. In our home we use X3 Watch (http://x3watch.com/) and that does a few things; #1- It blocks any suspicious websites and #2- it sends a weekly report to your three accountability partners (of your choosing) that can see exactly where you’ve been on the computer. These kinds of programs are absolutely priceless in creating a safe, porn-free platform.
- Lastly, there is no single greater factor for having a porn free home than a mom and a dad who model a porn free life. We have a “Zero porn tolerance” in our home and that is not just for the kids, it’s for the parents.
That means no movies with sexually explicit content, it means changing the channel when the Victoria’s Secret commercial comes on, and it means having a home that honors sexuality as a gift to be given, not an asset to be taken.
You can desire your kids stay safe online all you want but if you don’t model such behavior the odds of success are slim to none.
To demand behavior of a child (being porn free) that you don’t demand of yourself is hypocritical and inauthentic. It neither honors God, your spouse, or yourself.
Your child’s sexual purity is worth fighting for, so by God’s grace, may you fight the good fight against the schemes, plans and evil that is so readily seeking to destroy them. In the end, they will thank you for it!
About the Author: Ryan received his BS in Bible and Theology and a minor in counseling from Multnomah University. He has pastored students, families and is passionate about Christ-centered recovery and healing.
He’s been married to his beautiful wife Michelle for 13 years and they enjoy raising four crazy, unique and special kids together. Ryan is the teaching pastor at Vast Church in Sisters, OR and is currently working on his Masters in Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, OR
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Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on January 28, 2016
Published on AddictionHope.com