Mobile Ministry Magazine

When I was younger, my parents resorted (many times) to taking away things that I enjoyed so that I would get the point that I had to wise up in areas. These days, taking away things from youth includes mobile devices such as iPods and mobile phones. One parent of a teen that I regularly interact with mentioned that because of school issues with his son, he had to take away much of the mobile technology that the teen used. While this left the teen disconnected, it did get the point to him that connecting to friends is not as important as connecting to schoolwork.

As parents of an increasingly digital generation, there are similar responses that should be taken when the need warrants. Nothing should come before God, family, and education when it comes to you. But many times, the world within mobile devices can do just that.

How do Christians respond to this as a family and as a community? What steps have you found that work for you, and what doesn't work?

Bonus discussion question: what are the downfalls of taking away that connectivity from the child, and how does a parent create an environment where taking away that aspect of connectivity does not take away the ability to be productive?

Labels: community, devices, mobility, parenting, software, tech