October 15, 2022November 9, 2022 christianparentingtoday1@gmail.com

Live a Happier Life: Turn Off Social Media

Social Media, Addiction, American Education, Anxiety and Depression, Appreciation, Apps, Babies and Toddlers, Building Self Esteem, Character Building, Christian Foundation, Communication, Computers and Devices, Dangers to Children, Disappointments, Discipline, Diversity, Education, Family Fun, Grandparents, Grief and Death, Human Trafficking, Importance of Play, Internet, Magazines, Mental Health, Parenting, Pornography, Prayer, Questioning Beliefs, Saying No, Serving Others, Sexting, Spirituality, Suicide, Teaching Gratefulness, Teaching Respect, Teaching Responsibility, Technology, Teens, The Brain, The Dark Web, Video Games, Worship

It’s time for us to decide what is best for our children and families. We must stop allowing others to influence us.

Social Media is Not the Answer

Since the availability of the internet into most of the homes in the United States, we have also found an increase in depression, suicide, violent behavior, ADHD, Autism, aggression, poor school performance and mental health issues with children. We continue to scratch our heads and question how this could be happening. Yet, we fail to recognize the correlation between the availability of the internet and the growing numbers of issues affecting our brains and the brains of our children.

We are told through commercials, educators, friends, and family that the internet is the way of the future. Many of us, and our friends are addicted to our social media sites. We love to post those beautiful pictures of our family and all the happy times we are having. We want everyone to know how wonderful we are, what a great time we have, and all the wonderful places we visit. We want everyone to know every accomplishment our children makes, every good grade they receive, and every kind word a teacher says about them. We want the world to know we are wonderful!!! Shouldn’t everyone want to be us!!??

We see all of our friends, and many others posting these things and more. We want to let everyone know we are just as great as they are. After all, if everyone else is on all of these social media sites, there can’t be anything wrong with it. What’s wrong with wanting people to know we love our family, and we are proud of them? What can possibly be wrong with posting pictures of our children having so much fun? The people who are opposed to social media and the technology of today are just old-fashioned and don’t understand how the world works.

We must be very careful about posting on social media. Here are only a few of the reasons social media does not lead to a happy life.

1. Children think they must live up to expectations we post on social media to be loved and accepted by parents.
2. Our friends are not the only people who see everything we post. We are also providing valuable pictures and information to predators and pedophiles.
3. Our happiness doesn’t need to be the result of doing great things or going to great places. We all need to remember, happiness can be found everyday in simple things.
4. Measuring ourselves against the lives of others is not a way to happiness. It is a recipe for jealousy, disappointment, and resentment. Yet, we do not fully understand what the lives of others are like away from social media.
5. Happiness is not found in things, or the places we go, or how wonderful we think our children and family are. Happiness is found in being humble, in a daily walk with God, and with serving others.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

I Timothy 6:6

How To Find Happiness

1. Live for Heaven – not earth — “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in an steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.” Matthew 6: 19-20
2. Gratitude — be thankful for everything you have, including the difficulty you may be going through. “Rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed.” I Peter 4:13
3. Enjoy and care for the blessings God has provided — we live in a wonderful world with trees, grass, rivers, oceans, mountains, hills, and plains where we can appreciate the very beauty around us. Share this blessing with children so they may learn to see beauty all around them. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
4. Serve others — find a way of giving to someone less fortunate. “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” I Peter 4:10
5. Value people not possessions — the things we possess never fulfill us. “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.” Ecclesiastes 1:14