How can we help our children be wiser and kinder in what they post on social media?
First Principles
For a start, here are a few pertinent points from what we learned in the Theology of the Body to guide us in this endeavour.
- We are made in the image and likeness of God, Who is love; in fact, an eternal communion, an eternal exchange of love in the Holy Trinity;
- As bodily and spiritual beings, we express this spiritual reality in and through our bodies. Since we are made in His image, we are called to loving communion, to be a gift to each other, to give and to receive love in and through our bodies, in the way we communicate with each other, through our thoughts, our words, and our actions;
- This love is not a fuzzy feel-good sentiment of sorts, but a decision, a commitment to will the good of another. And what is the greatest good that we can wish for another? That he or she be united with God; one great way is for them to experience God through us: in the way we communicate with them, the way we connect with them, even through social media.
With this in mind, here are 3 main points that we can share with our children when talking with them about their postings on social media. These are:
- THINK before you post
- How can we stay safe?
- Does it glorify God?
Let’s talk about the first point — T.H.I.N.K. before you post. By this, I am using THINK as an acronym. What do the letters THINK stand for?
“T” challenges us to check if the information we receive is true, or otherwise. I am sure we are aware of the tremendous amount of fake news out there in social media. Thus, it is important that we check on the veracity of the information that people send to us, or that we read on the internet. Encourage our children to check on the information from reliable news agencies, journals, with other respectable adults or with us, before they forward it or re-post it on their profiles.
“H” asks us if what we intend to post is helpful, before we actually post it. In other words, does it build a communion of persons? Or does it destroy it?
“I” encourages us to ask if a posting is inspiring, before we send it out.
“N” asks us if a posting is necessary. Very often, we are tempted to forward many messages from friends, relatives and other contacts. I am sure you would have asked this same question as I have: “Was it really necessary to do so?”
And then “K” reminds us to be kind in what we say on social media. Do our words affirm others in their worth and goodness, or do we use words that are hurtful? In this day and age, it is rather commonplace to see nasty posts and comments from people, especially if they think they can remain anonymous behind their screens.
Having gone through the acronym “THINK”, I think another good question for our children to continually ask themselves is this: will this post keep us safe? We have discussed sexting, the sending of sexually explicit materials through digital media. This is certainly one easy way to get ourselves in trouble. Besides getting into trouble with the law, these materials can be disseminated widely at the click of a mouse or a touch of a button, and these images will likely end up in the wrong hands, with the wrong people, and may never ever be erased from the internet.
There are other ways in which our children’s posts may get them into harm’s way. One example is making their addresses, the buses they take and at what time, and their personal particulars easily available for others to see. There have been many examples of young people who have been accosted by strangers, including sexual predators. This is also a reason why we are extremely careful when posting pictures and information of ourselves, our kids and our grandchildren on social media platforms.
Finally, let us ask ourselves one more question before we post something on social media: does this post glorify God by promoting what is true, good and beautiful? Or is it merely an endeavour to glorify ourselves instead? Does it help in building God’s kingdom, or does it not? Will my post touch others in a way that will draw them nearer to God, or will it not?
Summary
- THINK before we post
- Stay safe on the internet and social media, and
Let us be instruments to bring God to others, and others to God.