Locked in on their Smartphones

Over the course of the summer, I made it a point to pay special attention to when and where children and teens are locked in on their smartphones during their daily comings and goings. In my own neighborhood alone, I saw kids walking up and down the street with their heads down and eyes focused on their phones. I saw one girl riding her bike and doing the same. I noticed a couple of teenage boys cutting the family lawn, and stopping every couple of passes to reach down into their pocket, grab their phone, and check out what they might have been missing. None of this was really surprising as the folks at Pew Research Center are now reporting that nearly half of American teens say they use the internet almost constantly. In fact, the number has increased from twenty-four percent back in 2015, to forty-six percent this year. As Paul tells the Ephesians, we must teach our kids to look carefully at how they walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time.