The single most requested talk I am asked to give right now is about technology.  It’s plain to see that in our current culture, kids are using devices way more often and have access to way more of the world than we, parents, understand.

• 70% of children 7 to 18 years old have accidentally encountered online pornography, often through a web search while doing homework;
• 90% of children ages 8-16 have seen online pornography;
• Law enforcement officials estimate that more than 50,000 sexual predators are online at any given moment;
• 1 in 5 youth ages 10 to 17 received a sexual solicitation or were approached online;
• Only a fraction of all inappropriate Internet episodes are reported to authorities; and
• 69% of teens regularly receive online communications from strangers and don’t tell a parent or caretaker.*

How can this be?

Are we parenting like our neighbors or like the Bible has instructed us to?  I’m not saying it’s easy.  Parenting in any capacity never is.  But, we have to be diligent about what’s online and how our kids have access to it–or more like, how it has access to our kids.  My staff and I are constantly researching and finding out about new scary apps that kids are into and new filters for parents to install on devices; HOWEVER, these change so rapidly, we cannot keep up.  If the CareNet staff cannot keep up (when we spend many hours during the work week researching these specific topics), then we know most parents can’t spend their extra time researching what potential dangers are lurking about on the internet.  That isn’t to be discouraging, that’s simply to lay the truth out there.  The trap the enemy has set with the internet is wide and long.  We must take every precaution necessary to guide our kids toward God’s calling on their lives, to bring Him glory–even if that means our kids sometimes feel left out.

Because I am asked by parents for this information so often, I have put this PDF on my website for download.  Please feel free to share and to send me any other apps, filters, etc that you think our team needs to know about.  As I’ve said, this handout is constantly changing, so check back with us often!

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.” 1 John 4:4-5

My love,

*Stats from October 2016, parent.co.

Click here to download Candy’s most updated Technology Handout!