Two decades ago, the average child under 18 spent about 15 to 20 hours per week digesting media content. Today, it has nearly tripled to almost 60 hours per week of unduplicated time. They now devote more time to media than to anything other than sleep.
Another aspect of Barna’s post on media addiction: kids media consumption time. It seems he includes in this TV, Movies, Internet and Gaming. My question is, ‘How much of this reflects the increase in how much media we have?’ We didn’t have the internet when I was a kid. Television was new when my parents were kids, and the radio was new before that. Perhaps a part of this is simply a consequence of more media options.
At the same time, I can’t help but notice another trend. Parents who have little or no time to spend with their kids. Mom and Dad both work (for the kids, of course), so Tommy is carted off to all day preschool, before and after school care and eventually becomes what we used to call a latch-key kid.
Perhaps, then, it’s not simply how many options we have, it’s that parents don’t want to be parents-and media provides an easy babysitter. Who doesn’t know the bliss of letting the kid play Wii so that you can get some work done?
The answer, then, is simple: parents being parents. Parenting, from a Christian perspective, is discipling. We are training our kids to be men and women of faith in Christ. That takes time–a lot of time. It requires parents prioritizing how much time they spend with their kids, and making sure that time is well spent.
Family game night, with good old-fashioned board games, is a great way to connect with kids and teach them about healthy competition. Family devotions are a great way for the family to read, pray and discuss God’s Word together. Family movie night can not only be entertaining, but can provide fodder for faith building conversations.
Of course, each of these has a common denominator–parents actively and personally involved in the lives of their children.
Brandon Markette 