The online world: Friend or foe for Christian youth and children?

We are all increasingly aware of the role that online spaces play in our daily lives – from shopping to entertainment, work to recreation, and even chatting with the postie through the doorbell. Life is now lived in a hybrid reality that is here to stay. 

Many of us remember a simpler life before Google and have had the chance to slowly adapt to (and embrace!) online spaces. But what about our kids? Those who have grown up in a world that has been hybrid from the start, the generation of ‘digital natives’?  
 
School takes place both face-to-face and through live lessons on YouTube, friendships are formed in the playground and maintained through Fortnite or FIFA, and new skills are learned from ‘experts’ on TikTok as well as through experience at home. How do we engage our children in these spaces, understand the role they play in their lives, and what impact does it have on their faith development? Difficult questions to answer! 

Let’s be real about the challenges and do our best to safeguard our children as they live in this hybrid world. But let’s also prayerfully embrace the opportunities we have in front of us.

We are bombarded with the scary realities of the online world: the impact of social media on mental health, the accessibility to extreme views and dangerous content, and the fear of the long-term impact of growing up amidst such a culture. While I do not negate the many challenges and dangers the online space can hold, I believe there are opportunities it can create as well. 

New research

As the Research and Innovation Lead at Scripture Union, I was keen to explore how this hybrid reality (simultaneously living in both the online and face-to-face) that our children and young people are experiencing might impact the ways they explore faith for themselves. We wanted to reflect on how this could shape our approach to mission as we equip churches to reach children and young people from non-faith backgrounds, and support those with faith to flourish in a hybrid world.  We partnered with Liverpool Hope University to conduct groundbreaking research and explore this question in more depth with 155 children (aged 8-16) from both faith and non-faith backgrounds.

The findings

One of the first things we noted was the openness of the young people in wanting to talk about faith. Even if they did not describe themselves as having a faith, they were happy, open and enthusiastic about discussing it. 

Another key takeaway was that the those we spoke to valued exploring faith in a hybrid way –showing enthusiasm for exploring faith online and with face-to-face interactions with people they knew – and explained that these spaces served different purposes. If they wanted to discover facts and figures about faith and Christianity for a school assignment or to fill gaps in their understanding, they would most likely search online. However, if they wanted to learn about the experiential elements of faith (what it felt/looked like to be a Christian), they preferred speaking to someone they knew and trusted in person. These trusted individuals ranged from parents and carers to school workers who delivered assemblies, or teachers known to have a faith. This insight highlights the value children continue to place on face-to-face connections and their understanding of trusted sources. 

Additionally, we discovered that family had the greatest influence on their faith journey, compared to friends, social media, celebrities, etc. There was a strong sense of identity and influence derived from these relationships, especially regarding their thoughts about faith and the spaces that helped to shape it. 

So, what is the significance of this as we continue to journey alongside our children and grasp the realities of growing up in this hybrid culture, we now inhabit?

Read more

Are smartphones rewiring my kid’s brain?

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt might have an alarmist title but there is plenty in the book that Christian parents can agree with

Helping your teen navigate Snapchat: A Christian parent’s guide to helping them flourish online

Some opportunities for parents

I previously mentioned the opportunities this space offers amidst the obvious challenges. Here are the main three opportunities I see: 

1. Openness to share their world: We have the chance to learn alongside our children. My 7-year-old has a far superior knowledge of Lego Star Wars than I do. Despite being 30 years his senior, his knowledge and skill far outweigh mine in this area, and it has been a joy to be taught by my son. This opportunity for him to teach me has created moments of depth and value in our relationship that I haven’t experienced in other ways. How are we creating a posture of learning, allowing our children to teach us about the role their online worlds play in their learning, friendships, mental health, and faith, rather than assuming we already know? 
2. Choice: Online spaces can give children and young people a sense of agency and ownership in their faith journey in new ways. It can empower them to seek answers when they need them and see they are part of something bigger than the three young people in their church. How can we help journey with them as they explore more about who God is and what the Bible says as they connect with wider viewpoints in the online world? What might it look like for us to help them develop skills in critical thinking and help them to identify their own beliefs in a sea of noise? 
3. Valuing trusted relationships: We have an opportunity to be a safe space. What might it look like for us to create safe and open spaces for our children to talk to us about their online experiences just as they would about their day at school (often easier said than done)? How can we be non-judgmental when their experiences feel so far removed from our own? How can we respond from a desire to learn and understand rather than react from a place of fear or concern of the unknown? Are we preparing and equipping ourselves with the knowledge and skills we need to respond in this way? 

Let’s be real about the challenges and do our best to safeguard our children as they live in this hybrid world. But let’s also prayerfully embrace the opportunities we have in front of us. Opportunities to understand the realities our children are facing as they grow. Opportunities to be a safe space for them to process, be supported, and not judged. Opportunities to journey with them as they discover the heart of Jesus and the relevancy of the Bible for themselves in their daily lives. 

As we continue to dive into the findings from this research, we are exploring how we can inspire, cultivate confidence and equip the church to reveal Jesus to children and young people through a hybrid approach to mission. If you’d like to read the Exploring Hybrid Mission Report in full, visit su.org.uk/hybrid or scan the QR code to download your copy for free.

To discover more about how Scripture Union could support you or your church to Reveal Jesus to children and young people in your area, visit the Scripture Union website or get connected to your local SU team by emailing hello@scriptureunion.org.uk.