Parents today raise children in a world unlike any previous generation. Video games, social media, streaming platforms, AI chatbots and instant information transform daily life.
The tools of the digital world offer many remarkable opportunities for learning, creativity and enjoyment. Media messages educate and form audiences through ideas, values and worldviews. When used well they can expand the minds and hearts of children and enrich their imaginations.
Along with the benefits of technology, risks are also a reality. Harmful content can adversely affect a child’s emotional and spiritual health. Without guidance, kids can, intentionally or not, find themselves in dangerous digital spaces where the content may undermine their faith and well-being.
Use technology – don’t let it use you
Technology itself is not the enemy. Human ingenuity created social media apps, video games and artificial intelligence. However, like any tool, they can be used for good or for harm.
Pope Leo XIV emphasizes that technology must serve the human person rather than replace human wisdom or relationships. Parents, rooted in faith, are the ones who form and guide children toward the beautiful, true and good.
Youngsters cannot always distinguish helpful from harmful content online because they lack the maturity to apply discernment to the messages they encounter in the media. Yet these are the messages that shape their young minds and hearts.
Shape your child’s digital character
Being a responsible parent when it comes to media does not simply mean setting limits for screen time. It also involves playing and viewing together as a family.
Being present to one another and engaging media together allows the chance to enter into conversations about content. This helps children interpret what they see and hear through the lens of faith. Talking with children helps them develop discernment skills, which are essential as they grow into adulthood.
Encourage children to ask questions of the media, such as: How does this story make me feel? Does it reflect goodness? Does it draw me closer to God? This equips children to safeguard their interior lives and grow in their relationship with God.
Defend your family through prayer
Helping strengthen their spiritual core provides the most effective way to protect children in the digital age. When families pray together, they invite Christ into their home, making Him the center of their relationships and activities.
When a family prays the rosary or grace before meals together or brings their intentions about their online experiences to God, God’s grace bonds the family together. These moments teach children that God is present in every aspect of life – including their digital lives.
Perhaps the most important factor in forming children is the example of the parents. Children see what their parents do and imitate them. When devices constantly distract parents, children internalize that behavior, but when parents pray together and lead the family in prayer, the children learn the value and beauty of faith.
Make tech a path to holiness
Families can support their faith by using technology intentionally. Families can watch inspiring content together and discuss what they see, listen together to a recording of Scripture, learn about the saints, and use digital tools to deepen their spiritual life.
It is a challenge to parent in the digital age, but by setting boundaries, keeping bedrooms screen-free, establishing tech-free times and encouraging other activities including prayer, parents can bring balance to their homes.
Parents should aim to raise children who know how to use digital tools without being controlled by them. When families pray together, discern together and live intentionally with their media, the home becomes a sacred space where faith is lived, hearts are formed and Christ reigns at the center. In such homes, holiness can flourish.
Sister Hosea Rupprecht, a Daughter of St. Paul, is the associate director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies.
More online
For more tips and ideas about how to form digitally safe and holy kids, watch the “Digital Age Family Safety” series by Family Theater Productions and Pauline Media Studies at www.digitalfamilysafety.org or on its YouTube channel. These short videos are designed to help busy Catholic parents navigate the digital culture for their kids with practical tools and fun ideas. The downloadable guides make the content accessible and lasting.